


Nineteen Years Later

by angelholme



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, NaNoWriMo, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2013-11-25
Packaged: 2018-01-02 15:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 58,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelholme/pseuds/angelholme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fourteen years after the war ended, Lord Voldemort rules Britain with a fist of iron, killing anyone who stands in his way. The remnants of The Army of Light are scattered and in hiding, and no one has seen Harry Potter since he vanished at the start of his fifth year.</p>
<p>But when Voldemort's Prime Minister is assassinated in broad daylight, the resistance gains a renewed sense of hope, and start to believe that the war is not yet over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Diagon Alley

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer**
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> Harry Potter et al belong to JK Rowling.
> 
> Arda, Middle Earth et al belong to JRR Tolkien.
> 
>  
> 
> **Notes**
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>  
> 
> This story was written for National Novel Writing Month 2013. It was the second story I wrote, after abandoning the first one less than 2,000 words in.

(Diagon Alley, 14th of February, 2015)

Lucius Malfoy looked out over the crowds in Diagon Alley, and smiled.

For nearly two decades, he had served his Lord as Prime Minister of Magical Britain - the second highest position in the land, and one that meant he had almost complete say over everything that happened in the country.

And it was a position he revelled in. His wife, Merlin keep her soul, had been killed by terrorists in the final days of the war, but now there plenty of women and even young girls who were willing to take her place in his bed.

His mind drifted to the night before. The Patil twins - supply clerks working in The Reclamation Offices - had offered themselves to his service, and he had enjoyed both of them for the majority of the evening and through in to the night. He gave a slight yawn - perhaps he had enjoyed them a little too long, but only because they were very skilled in what they did - then smiled again. Perhaps he would ask them back tonight, after he had made his monthly announcements and overseen The Glorious Worship celebrations.

xoxox

The young man flicked his hood up over his head, and walked down the side alley until he reached the end of the building. Glancing around, he started to climb up the drain pipe until he reached the roof.

xoxox

Malfoy strode up to the podium and raised his hands for quiet. As always, the crowd continued to cheer for a few moments longer, until he waved his hands again and they fell silent.

"My people - I stand before you once more to bring you good news" He said, the microphone magically amplifying his voice "As a result of the magnificence and benevolence of your leader, Lord Voldemort, I am happy to announce that your rations are going to be increased from the start of next month" He paused as cheers erupted through the Alley. 

"This has been done through a trade deal with the magical governments of America and Canada" He continued "In return, we are going to start deporting some of the more undesirable members of society to serve in the America labour camps" There were more cheers, and this time he waited for them to die down. 

xoxox

The man looked across the street, and smiled as the girl nodded back to him. They had been working together for three months - ever since they arrived in the country - and had developed their own silent communication. 

In the previous few months, they had attacked a few smaller targets, but this was their first major plan, and they knew that - if it went wrong - it would be their last. 

xoxox

"I am also happy to announce that we are rounding up more and more members of The Scar and The Moon - the terrorist group that has undermined all the progress and advancements that Lord Voldemort has attempted to make to improve our society" He paused "And I give you my word now - we are going to bring this group to its knees" He raised his hand, fist clenched.

"We will find its members, its leaders and then - then we will find the master mind. The woman who has made it her goal to destroy this great society - to undo all the great work that Lord Voldemort, I and the other members of The Party have done to make this society great once again" He shook his head "They will pay for what they have done - they will pay for each and every life taken, for each and every building they have destroyed, and each and every act of terror they have inflicted on the good and decent people of this country" This time the cheers exploded through the Alley, drowning out every other noise.

xoxox

"Three. Two. One" The man counted down, then smiled as the music burst in to life.

xoxox

"And so I say....." Lucius started, then trailed off as he heard something he wasn't expecting.

"Early one morning, just as the sun was rising" He looked around in surprise and confusion as the music filled the Alley.

"And so I say....."

"I heard a maiden singing in the valley below" He fell silent again, trying to work out where the music was coming from.

xoxox

The man raised the rifle, then slowly slid his wand in to the sight at the top. 

Lying down on the roof, he lowered the rifle until he could see through the targeting scope, then gently rested his finger on the trigger. 

xoxox

"AND SO I SAY....." Dean Thomas, Lucius' head of security, watched as his boss tried to regain control of the situation, but it was clear that Lucius was out of his depth. He took a step forward, intending to back up his boss, but Malfoy waved him back.

"Oh don't deceive me" Malfoy opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it as the music got louder.

"OH DO NOT LEAVE ME" Dean decided that he would risk Malfoy's ire, and started to walk up to where his boss was stood.

"HOW COULD YOU USE....." Just as Dean arrived at the platform, he saw a bolt of red light come from the roof of Flourish And Blotts and hit his boss in the chest. Malfoy flinched backwards, then gazed down in surprise as blood started to pour from his chest. Dean jumped up on the platform, ready to jump in front of the next shot that was fired.

xoxox

The man re-adjusted his grip and position, then looked through the sight again.

xoxox

"A POOR MAIDEN SO!" Before Dean could reach Lucius, another bolt of light shot down, and Dean stared in horror as his bosses head vanished in a burst of red mist. 

xoxox

Straightening up, the man pulled his wand out of the targeting scope, then shrank the gun down until he could slip it into his jacket pocket. Five second later, he was shinning down the drainpipe, and five seconds after that, he had vanished in to the crowd.


	2. Part 1 - The Ususal Suspects

One - Consequences

(The Ministry Of Magic, 14th of February, 2015)

"Mr Thomas. I understand you were there to protect the safety and security of my Prime Minister" Dean knelt, head bowed, in front of Lord Voldemort. 

"Yes, Minister" He said quietly.

"You appear to have failed in that task, Mr Thomas" Voldemort said, his tone quiet and reasonable.

"Yes, Minister" Dean repeated. 

"Do you have an explanation?" Voldemort asked.

"No, Minister" He looked up "After the attack, I locked down the Alley with all the usual procedures. Anti-portkey and anti-apparation wards were up already, and I cast the barrier spell at once" He paused "We found no one" 

"No one, Mr Thomas? My Prime Minister is assassinated in broad daylight, in front of a crowd of nearly three hundred, and you found nothing?" Voldemort leaned forward, interlacing his fingers. 

"We questioned everyone who had access to Flourish and Blotts, and none of them are members of The Scar and The Moon, nor did they show any sympathies towards that group" Dean said quietly "We found traces of magic on the roof, but the wand signature is not on file"

"Which means what, Mr Thomas?" Dean winced - he had been hoping this question wouldn't occur to Voldemort, but if he had been in The Minister's place, he would have asked it as well.

"That either the wand is unregistered - a black market wand - or that it belongs to someone from outside the country" Dean sighed "Most likely someone from France - the intelligence reports....."

"I am aware of those reports, Mr Thomas" Voldemort's voice became slightly darker "Mr Weasley - a man who is a lot better at his job than you appear to be - has informed me of the French connection with The Scar and The Moon. He also said that the alliance was in its early stages, and that it was nothing we should be concerned about yet"

"That is what I believed as well, Minister" Dean nodded "Perhaps we were wrong"

"That is something I am willing to consider, and something that Mr Weasley and I will - no doubt - be discussing at great length in the near future" Voldemort paused "However we are not here to discuss Mr Weasley's failings, Mr Thomas - we are here to discuss why the man responsible for protecting my Prime Minister - the man I appointed to protect Lucius - protect him with his life - stood by as Mr Malfoy's head was blown off" He leaned back in his throne "If you were me, Mr Thomas, what would you deem a suitable punishment for a mistake as grievous as this?" Dean winced.

"I would execute the person who failed - I would execute anyone who was connected with the failure" He said flatly. 

"So can you think of any reason I should not do so with you, Mr Thomas?" Voldemort asked.

"No, Minister" He stared Voldemort in the face "I failed you - I failed Mr Malfoy and it cost him his life" He paused "However, if I may....." He trailed off "If I might be permitted to make a single statement?" Voldemort quirked an amused eyebrow.

"You would beg for your life?" He asked.

"No, Minister" Dean shook his head "However those who served under me should be held blameless. They all did their jobs as they should - they ensured Prime Minister Malfoy would not be in danger from the crowd" He paused "It was my fault, and my fault alone. I thought I had secured the Alley, and I was wrong" He paused, then sighed "I realise that my life is forfeit, as is the life of all those who were there this morning, however I would ask that you give my men a second chance - a chance to prove themselves"

"They have already proved themselves - proved themselves worthless" 

"No, Minister" Dean said firmly "They were not responsible for what happened, and they are the best of the best. If you were to kill them all then you would be forced to start again with people who are no where near as good, and - given what happened this morning - I am not sure you can afford to do that" Voldemort stared at him, then gave a wry smile.

"You have a good point, Mr Thomas" He said dryly "Perhaps if you had shown this much wisdom this morning, I would not be having you killed this afternoon" He stood up "For this display of wisdom, I will grant you one reprieve - I will not have your wife and daughter executed along side you" He paused "I will have to punish them, of course, but I give you my word they will survive this and continue to serve in my employ for many years to come"

"Thank you Minister" Dean said with genuine emotion.

"I am nothing if not benevolent" Voldemort replied with a smile "Now - please report to Mr Pettigrew. He will schedule your execution, and ensure that your family is informed so that may attend if they wish" Dean closed his eyes, then nodded.

"Thank you Minister" He said quietly, then turned and walked out of the throne room. Voldemort watched him go, then turned to the servant stood in the corner.

"Find Mr Weasley and bring him here at once" He said.

"Yes, Minister" The woman nodded, then turned and bounded out of the room at a fast pace. Voldemort walked back to his throne, and sat down again.

xoxox

Two - A Night In

"Mum?" Calista Marks pushed the door to her house open, and walked inside. Throwing her school bag down by the stairs, she called out for her mother again, then - when there was no response - she shrugged and walked through to the kitchen.

She pulled the fridge open, and took out the bottle of orange juice. Pouring herself a glass, she walked over to the answering machine and saw the blinking red light. 

"Why am I not surprised?" She said to herself, then pressed the button.

"Hey Cally, it's your mother" The voice came out of the machine "I got pulled in to a PTA meeting, so I will be home about half an hour later than usual" There was a pause "I know you are coming back after hockey practice, and will probably be hungry, but if you could hold off on tea until around six ish, then order a pizza, we can have tea when I come back" There was another pause "There's also a story I want you to see - I left a copy on the laptop. Once you've read it, I want you to practice the spells we talked about last week, but make sure you do it in the basement - The IS will be out in force and I don't want anyone picking up any stray signals" There was a final pause "Take care, love, and I'll see you soon" The machine beeped then fell silent. Calista stared at it for a few moments, then she slowly walked over to the laptop and sat down.

Taking a gulp of juice, she played the video that was queued up.

xoxox

"Mr Weasley" Voldemort stared at Ronald Weasley as he entered the throne room "Thank you for coming so swiftly" 

"I came as soon as I could, Minister" Ron bowed "I was reviewing the intelligence from this morning and the general intelligence we have about The Scar and The Moon, as well as any other threats" 

"And what did you discover?" Voldemort asked in the same tone.

"I am very sorry, Minister, but I have been unable to discover anything" Ron said apologetically "There is no chatter about any plans or threats, and the six teams I dispatched to Diagon Alley have been unable to find anything to link this assassination to either The Scar and The Moon, or to any other group that is currently under observation"

"So this would be a new group?" 

"I can't be sure of that yet, but yes - I believe it might be" Ron nodded.

"You don't think it is connected to the deaths of Zabaini, Boot and Crabbe?" Voldemort asked. Ron stared at him for a moment, then shook his head.

"I was under the impression that they had been written off as the work of individuals" He said after a few moments "Nothing in my research has found a link between them" He paused "Is there intelligence and research I am not privy to, Minister?"

"Not that I am aware of, Mr Weasley" Voldemort shook his head "However the death of Prime Minister Malfoy indicates a major escalation in their activities. Does that not strike you as worrying?" Ron took a deep breath, let it out slowly then looked Voldemort in the eye.

"I admit I had not considered that, my Lord" He said in an apologetic tone "With your permission, I will have my agents go back and review all of the information with that in mind" 

"I think that might be wise, Mr Weasley, however there is something else I would like you to do" Voldemort continued "I think that we need to send a signal to those who might believe that this is a sign to move against us. A sign to our enemies that their time might be nigh" He paused "I would like to send a signal that this is not the case"

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded.

"Do you have any suspects you have been monitoring? Ones that you have not moved against because you felt you could gain more by watching them than by bringing them in?" 

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded again.

"Bring them in. All of them. I want to make it clear to The Scar and The Moon that we are still in charge - that there is nothing they can do that will influence or affect us in anyway" He stood up and his voice became hard "I want you to bring them all in, question them and find out what they know by any means necessary" 

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded for a third time.

"This includes your ex-wife, Mr Weasley" Voldemort said quietly, and Ron nodded. But when Voldemort added "And your daughter" Ron winced.

"Minister.... they....." 

"You will find them and bring them in, Mr Weasley" Voldemort repeated "Otherwise I would be forced to wonder whether you are protecting them for some reason I am not privy to" Ron paled slightly, then nodded.

"I will see that they are brought in, Minister" He nodded "If I may go see to your orders now?"

"Of course, Mr Weasley" Voldemort leaned back against his throne "I would not want to detain you longer than necessary" 

xoxox

At the sound of the front door bell, Calista waved her wand at the training dummy making it freeze.

"Can't be mum - she has a key and rarely rings the bell" She glanced at her wand, then slipped it inside her training sweats.

xoxox

The young man looked around, then turned back to the door. 

"Come on - we haven't got all night" He said to himself, glancing around again.

xoxox

Calista walked up the stairs, then along the hall to the front door. 

Checking she still had easy access to her wand, she slowly opened the door until it caught on the chain. Looking out, she saw a young man, around her age, staring back at her.

"Good evening" He said "I was wondering if Amelia Marks is home? I would like to talk to her" Calista looked him up and down.

"Why do you want to talk to my mother?" She asked.

"Your mother?" The man facing her asked in surprise "She has a daughter?" 

"I am pretty sure" Calista nodded "And if you were a friend, or colleague of hers, then you should know that already" She dropped her hand to her side, putting it in range of her wand. He followed her actions, then smiled.

"If you are going to draw your wand on me, I suggest you do it quicker than that" 

"How did you know....." Calista paused "I mean - I don't have a wand"

"Of course you don't" He smiled "Because a muggle school girl would never have a wand, just like her muggle school teacher mother wouldn't have a wand either"

"Muggle?" Calista asked "What's a muggle?" This time the man laughed.

"At least you are starting to remember your cover" He grinned "Look - Miss Marks - is your mother home? I need to talk to her on a matter of huge importance"

"Why do you want to talk to her?" The young man looked her up and down.

"I am an old friend from home, and I think that she is in danger from the government" He paused "Look - is she here?"

"No" Calista shook her head.

"When is she coming home?" 

"Why should I tell you?" 

"Because if you don't then in less than four hours you will be in one of The IS' black cells and will probably never see the light of day again" He said firmly. Calista stared at him, then shook her head.

"I don't believe you" She said "Now go away, or I'll call the police" The man sighed, then looked at his watch.

"Okay - if you are not going to let me in, I will leave, as long as you promise to do me one favour" 

"Why should I do that, exactly?" She asked with a smile "You think just because you bat your eyes at me and look cute I will do whatever you say?"

"You think I look cute?" He asked with a snort of amusement, making her blush.

"What's the favour?" She said quickly. 

"Tell your mother what I told you" He said insistently "Tell her that The IS is coming for her, and that if she - and you - are not out of here in the next three hours and fifty minutes, you won't ever get out of here again" He paused "Promise?"

"I will" She nodded "Do you have a name?" He looked at her curiously "If she asks where I got this information from, I would like to at least give her something"

"That makes sense" He paused "Tell her Dudley Dursley sends his regards" Calista frowned but nodded "It's very important you tell her this as soon as she gets home"

"What if she wants to get in touch with you?" 

"She can't - but once you realise I am telling the truth, I will find you" He paused, then smiled "And I realise how creepy that sounds, sorry" Calista laughed, making him smile even wider.

"I will tell her when she comes home" She paused "And you are not cute at all" 

"Of course not" He smiled, then added "The moment she gets home" Before she could respond, he turned and walked down the path. She watched him go, then closed the door and turned back and headed back down to the basement.

xoxox

"Did you talk to her?" The young man who had identified himself as Dudley Dursley turned at the voice from the shadows.

"No - I talked to her daughter" He replied "Who seemed a little bit suspicious of me"

"I can't imagine why" The young woman rolled her eyes "Did you get the message through?"

"I did" He nodded "Hopefully she will deliver the message and they can escape before The IS come for them" 

"Can we help? I mean - if we have to, can we save them?" The man looked at her thoughtfully, then sadly shook his head.

"You know what we have to do" He said softly "I realise that she is important to the cause, but if we are caught....." He trailed off "I know how much she means to you - she means as much to me as well - but we can't risk it"

"Okay" The woman nodded "Then lets hope this brand new daughter she has acquired will deliver the message"

"I think she will - she seems...... trustworthy" The woman stared at him with an amused smile.

"Oh yes?" She asked. The boy rolled his eyes.

"This is the daughter of our best friend - do you really think I am interested in her?" The woman simply stared back at him with the same amused smile "Oh shush - we should be going"

"Yes sweetie" She laughed "What's on the menu for tonight?"

"I thought we could investigate the ruins of Hogwarts to see if we can find out what happened to Dumbledore" He paused "I know the last time we were there ended badly, but hopefully the attack this morning should have them distracted enough to let us sneak in"

"Sounds like a plan" She nodded "But can we get dinner first? I skipped lunch"

"I warned you about that" He said fondly "Come on - I think there is a restaurant in muggle London that should suit"

xoxox

Three - Departure

"Mum? Is that you?" Calista came down the stairs to find her mother balancing a cup of coffee and a stack of papers. Calista reached out and took the coffee, while Amelia dumped the papers on the table in the hall. 

"Good evening, darling" Turning, Amelia placed a kiss on her daughter's head "How has your evening been?" She turned to hang up her coat, then turned back when her daughter didn't answer right away.

"Honey? Are you okay?" She asked, putting her hand to her daughter's forehead.

"I had a visitor earlier on" Calista said, glancing at her watch "About half an hour ago"

"Oh yes? Anyone I know?" Amelia asked, walking down the hall towards the kitchen "And is the pizza coming?" Calista followed her.

"I called it in about ten minutes ago, and the visit was from a young man named Dudley Dursley" Amelia stopped dead, then span round.

"Dudley Dursley? Are you sure?" She asked, staring at her daughter.

"That was what he said his name was" Calista nodded "He said it was very important that he spoke to you"

"This Dudley - he'd be about my age with brown hair?" Amelia pressed.

"No" Calista shook her head "He was about my age, with jet black hair and green eyes" Her mother's eyes widened in surprise.

"What did he want?" Amelia asked.

"He asked me to give you a message" Calista replied, looking at her mother in confusion "He said that in....." She glanced at her watch again "In about three and a quarter hours The IS would be coming for us"

"Oh god" Amelia leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes. Calista watched her for a few moments, then tapped her on the arm.

"Mum? What's wrong?" Amelia took a deep breath, then looked down at her daughter.

"I need you to go upstairs and pack everything you can in the next twenty minutes" She said quickly "Take anything you want to keep, because in forty minutes we are leaving, and once we go we will not be able to come back" She paused "And I'm going to cleanse the house of everything outside our bags"

"He was SERIOUS?" Calista asked "He wasn't putting us on?"

"No - if he says that if The IS is coming for us, then they are coming for us" Amelia replied "Now - go and start packing" Calista stared at her mother, then turned and bounded up the stairs.

xoxox

"Nott - how are the arrests going?" Ron asked as his second in command walked back in his office.

"They are on schedule, sir" Nott replied, standing in front of his boss' desk "Fifty suspects arrested already, and there are two currently in progress" He paused "When are we going to arrest your ex-wife, sir?" Ron stared at him.

"Once we have the rest of the group in custody, then we go after her and my daughter" He said after a few moments "Given her position in the resistance before it was destroyed, I didn't want to take the chance that anyone would tip her off"

"Yes, sir" Nott nodded "Do you want me to handle it?"

"No" Ron shook his head "If we are going to bring my daughter in, I will do it myself" He paused "I don't want her getting hurt, and while I trust you, I do not want any of the others getting carried away" 

"Yes, sir" Nott smiled "You realise that once she is within The IS, you might not be able to protect her as well as you would like?"

"That had occurred to me, Theo, but I do not want her dead before she arrives" He paused "If you could impress that on the rest of your men, I would be grateful"

"Yes, sir"

xoxox

Amelia and Calista walked out of the house, each carrying a bag, then stopped on the path.

"Are you going to torch it?" Calista asked, but Amelia shook her head "Why not? You did to the last five houses we've occupied"

"This time I want to leave a present for The IS" Amelia smiled "A very special present - one that they won't forget in a hurry and one that they truly deserve" Calista stared at her with an amused grin.

"There are times I am really glad you are my mother" She said after a moment, then - at the laugh her mother gave - added "Oh - you know what I mean" 

"I do" Amelia nodded, then turned and pulled out her wand "Want to help?"

"I thought you'd never ask" Calista grinned, then pulled out her wand as well "So - where do we start?"

xoxox

An hour later, twenty mages apparated in to the street, followed by another twenty a minute later. 

"Listen up" Ron said, addressing his agents "The two women we are after are going under the names Amelia and Calista Marks. Amelia is aged thirty five and has curly blonde hair. Calista is aged fifteen and has straight black hair. They are both to be considered armed and dangerous, but - and I can not overstate this - they are not to be harmed. Anyone who injures them will answer to me" He looked around as the agents nodded "Very well - teams one and two take the back door. Teams three and four take the front. Team five will secure the perimeter and team six will wait on standby"

"Yes sir" They all responded.

"And remember - I want them alive and unharmed" He repeated.

"Yes sir" They all responded again.

"Very well - go" He watched as the agents fanned out and took up their positions.

Five minutes later, when they were in the formation he had given, Nott walked back up him.

"All teams are in position, sir" Nott reported "Do you want them to move in?"

"Do it" Ron commanded. Nott relayed the order to the rest of the teams, and for a few moments there was silence.

Three minutes later, Ron saw Nott frown.

"Report" Ron said, and Nott turned to face him.

"The teams are moving in, but there is no sign of life - no sign of anything in the houses, sir" Ron stared at him for a moment, then looked down the road.

"How can there be....." He started, then his mouth fell open.

"Sir?"

"They've gone" Ron said quickly "It's a trap!" Nott stared at him, then his eyes widened.

"Should I recal....." He started, but before he could finish there was the sound of a huge explosion from down the street. Ron stared in disbelief as a fireball rose from the row of houses, burning bright in the darkness. Moments later, a giant circle appeared above the explosion, with a lightening bolt scar drawn through it. 

"God damn it" Ron screamed "Get them back here - anyone who is alive - get them back" Before Nott could respond, Ron started running down the street towards the fire, Nott hot on his heels.

xoxox

From the end of the road, two people watched as the house burned.

"You think they got out?"

"Lets hope" They exchanged glances, then they both turned and walked away, a smile on each of their faces.

xoxox

Four - Investigation

Two hours later, Ron walked slowly back in to his office, then flopped down behind his desk.

"Mr Weasley - Lord Voldemort demands your presence in the throne room" Ron looked up to see Nott stood at the door.

"I take it he has heard of the events on Elm Street?" Ron asked, and Nott nodded "From you?"

"No, sir" Nott shook his head "I was given the message by Zabini" Ron rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that a surprise" He stood up, straightened his robes then took a deep breath "Mr Nott - if I don't return, the key for the ward stones is in the safe, and the combination is in the desk" He paused "Of course if I do come back, I will probably have to obliviate you" Nott laughed.

"I am pretty sure you will be fine, sir - she is not known as The Smartest Witch for nothing, and I honestly can not think of anything that we could have done differently" Nott said quietly. 

"And logic and reason has always worked when reasoning with The Dark Lord" Ron replied, making Nott laugh again.

"You should go get going, sir - I am not certain his mood will be improved by you being late" Ron nodded.

"I will see you in a little while" He straightened his robes again, then turned and walked out of the office.

xoxox

"Mr Black - a ward has been triggered in the outer marches" Draco turned as Lavender strode in to the bar "There doesn't seem to be any signal of dark marks, but after the events of this morning Voldemort might be tempted to vary his methods"

"It's possible" Draco nodded "Send out the twins and the the first picked to investigate, but make sure they know the risks"

"Yes sir" Lavender saluted, making Draco laugh.

"Don't call me sir"

"Yes ma'am" Lavender saluted again. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Why do I bother?"

"You know you love us, boss" Lavender grinned, then turned and walked out of the bar. Draco smiled, then sat down at a table and started sorting through the papers.

xoxox

"Mr Black wants you to check the eastern marches, and make sure it's not anything we need to be concerned about" Lavender said, addressing Padma, Parvati and Hannah "So be careful, and...."

"And if we get caught, you won't come after us" Hannah nodded "We're aware of the risks, boss, but the security of the base is important enough to warrant them"

"Okay. When you are done, report back to Mr Black or me - whoever you find first"

"Yes boss" The three women nodded, then turned and walked out of the shop and in to the main street in Hogsmeade.

xoxox

"Mr Weasley" Voldemort stood up as Ron walked in to the throne room.

"Minister" Ron bowed "I was summoned"

"Yes, Mr Weasley" Voldemort stepped down from the throne and stood in front of Ron "I understand from Miss Zabini that our cells are full, and that the questioning has begun" 

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded "My teams arrested and detained sixty three suspected traitors, Minister, and while the interrogations have not yet yielded any information, it is my belief that by the end of tomorrow we will have the whereabouts of the leaders of The Scar and The Moon and will be able to bring them in for questioning"

"That pleases me, Mr Weasley" Voldemort smiled "The Scar and The Moon has been a thorn in my side for too long" He paused "Is that your entire report?" Ron stared at him, then took a deep breath.

"I am afraid that the raid to capture and arrest my ex-wife and daughter failed, Minister" He said quietly.

"It failed?" Voldemort asked quietly "That is all you have to say? Thirty seven of my best agents are dead, a further six are at St Mungos in critical condition, and all you can say is 'It failed'?" 

"I am sorry, Minister - I accept the entire responsibility for this disaster" Ron said simply "I believe they were tipped off - it is the only way to explain the trap they set for us"

"They were forewarned?" Voldemort furrowed his brow "By whom?" 

"I do not know, Minister" Ron said apologetically "The squads who came with me on the raid did not know where they were going before we left - the only ones that did were Theodore Nott and I, and I have complete faith in Mr Nott" Voldemort stared at him intently for a few moments, then turned and sat back on his throne.

"Mr Weasley - you will, no doubt, ensure that the traitor is found?" He said after a moment.

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded.

"Because otherwise I would be forced to assume that you are protecting them in some way" Voldemort continued, and Ron paled slightly.

"Yes, Minister" He said again.

"I will expect a report on the interrogations by tomorrow night, and a report in to the events on Elm Street by noon tomorrow" He said with a smile "Dismissed"

"Yes, Minister" Ron turned and walked out of the room. As the doors closed behind him, he closed his eyes and let out a long slow breath. 

"So Minister Voldemort has decided to forgive you?" Ron's eyes shot open, and he turned to see Brianna Zabini staring at him from across the hall.

"Apparently so, Brianna" Ron straightened up "Disappointed?" Brianna smiled.

"I think that if Lord Voldemort had put me in charge when he set up his empire, The Scar and The Moon would be a distant memory, and our society would be enjoying the golden age we so richly deserve, as opposed to watching the best of us have their heads blown off in front of the public" Brianna paused "However I am sure that Lord Voldemort will see you through you soon enough, and appoint a real mage to do the job" Ron stared at her, then turned and stalked down the hall, back to his office.

"So - not dead then?" Nott asked with a grin. Ron let out a snort of amusement "I take it you've seen Zabini then?"

"She accosted me in the hallway outside the throne room" Ron nodded "She seemed a tad put out that I hadn't been brutally tortured to death, but I have learned I can't please everyone" He paused "Mr Nott - Theo - did you tell anyone else about the raid on Elm Street last night?"

"No, sir" Nott shook his head "However Lord Voldemort was not all that.... discrete about what his intentions were, and I suspect the rumour of what we were doing was probably quite well known" 

"So anyone could have learned about it?" Ron sighed, then walked over and sat down behind his desk "Mr Nott - I want you to start an investigation. I need to know who it was that betrayed us, and got thirty seven of my agents killed"

"Yes sir" Nott paused "Do I have your permission to question everyone?"

"Everyone within our department for the moment" Ron replied "If we don't get anything from there, I will ask Lord Voldemort for permission to investigate the other branches" Nott nodded.

"Very well......" He paused, frowning "Do you want me to do this ahead of the interrogations of those we arrested?" Ron stared at him thoughtfully, then nodded.

"If there is a leak from inside our offices, we need to find it and stop it, otherwise everything we do from here on in is going to be compromised" He said seriously, then he smiled "Put Brianna in charge of interrogating the suspects - that should make her happy"

"Yes, sir" Nott nodded, then turned and walked out of the office.

xoxox

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" Parvati pointed her wand down the street, while Padma and Hannah took flanking positions. The two people at the end of the street came to a halt and put their hands above their heads. 

"WHO ARE YOU?" She called out. 

"YOU DON'T REMEMBER ME?" A voice came back, and Parvati felt her mouth fell open in surprise. 

"Is that....." Padma started, and Hannah nodded.

"What if it's a trick?" Parvati pointed out "It could be anyone" 

xoxox

"Mum? Do you know these people?" Calista asked. Amelia smiled.

"You know them as well, but it's been about twelve years since you saw them last" Calista stared at her, a look of understanding coming to her face.

"Since The Fall of Arcadia" She said quietly "Since the resistance was wiped out almost over night" She looked down the street "They are with the resistance?"

"I hope so" Amelia nodded "Because otherwise we are in terrible trouble" She paused "Ready to go forth and meet our fate?"

"I can't think of anything I'd like to do" Calista grinned. Slipping her hand in to her mother's, they started walking down the main road of Hogsmeade towards the three waiting women.

xoxox

Five - Reunion

"Is that really you?" Hannah asked as Amelia and Calista walked up to them.

"Yes" Amelia nodded "It's me"

"Hermione Jane Granger, back from the wilderness" Hannah stared at her. 

"I'm sorry I've been away, but now that we are back, we're going to help as much as we can" Hermione replied.

"Not that I doubt you" Parvati said quietly "But how do we know it's you?" She looked the woman up and down "No offence, but you don't exactly look like we remember"

"That's true" Hermione smiled "But if you spend twelve years on the run, I think you'll find it changes you a little" She reached down for her wand, then paused "Do you mind if I draw my wand?" The three women exchanged glances, then Padma looked back at them.

"Actually - if you don't mind - we'd like to take you back and have our leader question you" She said quietly. Hermione looked at her curiously. 

"May I ask why?" She asked, but Calista laughed.

"Either they think you are the legendary Hermione Jane Granger, in which case they will not be able to restrain you even if they tried, or they think you are an agent of Voldemort and they want safety in numbers when you finally reveal yourself" Hermione looked at her daughter, then smiled.

"Very well" She reached across with her left hand and pulled her wand out by the tip, holding it out to Hannah. A moment later, Calista followed suit, handing her wand to Padma.

"Thank you" Parvati smiled "And - if you are Hermione - I am sorry for doubting you" 

"No worries" Hermione waved her hand dismissively "I'd be suspicious as well" She looked around "So - shall we go? If we stay out here too long, someone might notice us" 

"Makes sense" Hannah laughed "Come along then - lets get going"

xoxox

Twenty minutes later, they were lead in to the bar of The Hogs Head, and brought in front of Draco.

"So - my associates tell me that you claim to be The Smartest Witch" Draco said, looking Hermione up and down "You don't look much like the mudblood, know-it-all I met in school" Hermione stared back at him.

"You don't look much like the quaffed, blood-purist prince of Slytherin I met in school either" She replied "But I guess times change and we change with them" She paused "The night before Arcadia fell, you told me that learning that your mother was tortured for an imagined slight against one of the other Death Eaters was the moment you realised what you were being groomed for, and that if you had your time over again you would stand behind Harry the moment you met him" Draco stared at her, then smiled and pulled her in to a hug.

"I've missed you, Granger" He said softly.

"I'm sorry I left, but I thought it was for the best" She said, straightening up "After Arcadia fell, and my ex-husband took the oath, I thought that I would be too much of a liability - that you'd be better off without me"

"I suppose you were right, but I have to admit, we have suffered without you" He glanced at the girl, then his eyes went wide "Is this little Cally? My god she's grown up"

"You really thought I'd still be a little girl?" Calista asked with a laugh "I can see why you never made Ravenclaw" Hannah and Padma laughed, while Draco rolled his eyes.

"That's little Cally" He nodded with a smile "You are definitely your mother's daughter"

xoxox

"I think we should get out of here" The young man glanced around the burnt out ruins of The Great Hall, then turned to his friend "We really need to go"

"Why?" She asked, staring at the wreck of the House Point Counters "We aren't finished exploring" 

"I know we aren't done, but I think Aragog's brood has finally noticed we are here, and I don't think they are happy to see us" He gestured towards The Forest. The young woman turned and looked where he was pointing.

"You know what? I think we should probably get out of here" She smiled.

"That sounds like a good idea" He smiled back "And I think I know just the way to do it" He glanced over his shoulder "Trust me?"

"Always" 

"Then come with me if you want to live"

xoxox

Draco placed the bottle of butterbeer down on the table, then put seven glasses down. 

"The others are all out on assignment at the moment" He said, sitting down "So this will have to be a relatively small reunion for the moment" He paused "Sorry - I realise that the return of our most glorious leader deserves a great deal more fanfare, but this will have to do"

"I am still...." Hermione started, then trailed off "I would have thought that title would have fallen to you, Drake" 

"I have acted as the leader of The Scar and The Moon, but I could never take your place" He said flatly "After the fall - after Arcadia was betrayed by Chang and Weasley - your heroism saved the vast majority of us" He opened the bottle and poured the golden liquid in to the glasses "And although a number of us have fallen since them, we owe the continuation of our group - of our very lives - to the lessons that you taught us, those many years ago" Hermione blushed, tears coming to her eyes.

"While I don't think I deserve such praise, I am happy that I have done some good in my life" She smiled, then her smile faded "How many?" Draco glanced at Lavender, who nodded.

"There are thirty of us left. The rest....." He trailed off, then shrugged "The majority fell defending our various bases - twenty in the last twelve years - while some have been taken by The IS"

"Have any returned?" Calista asked, then - when Draco turned to stare at her - she blushed "Or, you know, how about them Cannons?" Draco let out a bitter laugh.

"Nine years ago, three of our number returned from The Ministry. We questioned them, found them to be trustworthy and took them back in to our ranks" Calista bit her lip.

"And then it went wrong?" She asked. He closed his eyes, and nodded.

"Incredibly powerful and complex Imperious curses" Padma said from the side of the table "A week after we took them in, they crashed the wards and signalled The IS. We were overrun in minutes, and lost fifteen people before we could escape" 

"Since then - whenever someone has returned, we have wiped their minds and sent them on their way" Draco said, opening his eyes to stare at Hermione "Every single one of us knows that if we are captured, we can never come back. It's the price we pay - and are willing to pay - to ensure that The Scar and The Moon continues" Hermione leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes. 

"Tell me something - is Harry's cousin still a part of your team?" She asked, not opening her eyes.

"Yes" Draco nodded "He and Katie are out on a mission in Diagon Alley at the moment - trying to find out who assassinated The Prime Minister this morning" 

"That wasn't you?" Hermione's eyes shot open in surprise and she stared at Draco in disbelief "That wasn't The Scar And The Moon?"

"No" Draco shook his head "I mean - I wish it were, but we are just too well known and don't have the manpower to carry out an event like that" 

"Then who was it?" Hermione asked.

xoxox

"Where are we?" The girl asked "And where are we going?"

"The twins once showed me a series of secret passage ways" The boy smiled as they continued through the darkness "If I am right, this comes up in Hogsmeade, outside of the Hogwarts' grounds" He paused "Hopefully that will prevent Hagrid's little friends from chasing us all over the place"

"And what about Hogsmeade?" She asked "Do you know who we might find there? What if Voldemort has a permanent encampment there and we pop-up in the middle of it?"

"Then I apologise in advance about getting us killed" He paused "I am not letting him take me - I will fight until the last spell before I go with him"

"I know" She nodded, even though he couldn't see it "And if it looks like you'll fail, I will kill you before I let him"

"Why thank you dear" He said sardonically "I am so glad you care" 

"I live to serve" She laughed.

"Okay - we are just about here" He slowed down "Try not to bump in to me - the trapdoor to Aberforth's is just above me. Let me go first and I'll see what's the what"

xoxox

_"Then who was it?"_

"We have no clue" Draco admitted "I mean - there are no shortage of suspects, given Voldemort's reign of terror I am pretty sure he has pissed off quite a few people. But as for who could do this and get away with it?" He shook his head "We have no clue"

"Could it be Dudley?" Calista asked, and Draco stared at her in surprise. 

"You know about Dudley? Dudley Dursley?" He asked, leaning forward.

"I met him earlier" She replied "He was the one that warned me that The IS were coming for us" She looked at her mother "Tell them, Mum - tell them what I told you"

"That wasn't Dudley" Hermione said quietly. She looked at Draco "The Dudley I remember had brown hair, blue eyes and....." She paused, then smiled "A slight weight problem"

"He has that under control" Parvati said with a slight smile "Turns out that when you are living every day under fear of death and torture, you learn to live without the creature comforts" 

"And, most importantly, he was our age" Hermione continued, then looked at her daughter "Tell Drake what you told me - about the boy who came to warn us"

xoxox

Pushing the trapdoor up slowly, the young man poked his head out, then froze. 

xoxox

"A young man - almost a boy, around my age - came to my door and told me that The IS were coming for us" Calista paused "He was, as I said, around my age, with jet black hair, kind of messy, and bright green eyes" Draco's eyes went wide, and the others all put their glasses down, staring at Calista with the same disbelieving expressions.

xoxox

The young man sighed, then climbed out of the trapdoor and pulled the young woman up until they were stood side by side.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded and he smiled "Then lets go"

xoxox

"Hermione - did you see this boy?" Draco asked after a few moments.

"No" She shook her head "I was out at a PTA Meeting, and only learned about him when I got back" She paused "Do you think.... I mean - could it be?"

"It sounds a lot like him" Draco said "But he's been gone for so long. Why wouldn't he have come back before now? And why hasn't he stayed hidden for so long?"

"Who?" Calista asked, thumping her glass down on the table "Who are you talking about?" 

"I think they're talking about me" A voice came from the shadows behind the bar. A second later, all of the mages had jumped to their feet, pointing their wands in to the darkness.

"LUMOS!" Padma said, and - as the area filled with light - the forms of a young man and young women were illuminated. The man had messy black hair and green eyes, while the girl had dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes. 

"Dudley!" Calista exclaimed, turning to her mother "Mum - this is Dudley Dursley"

"No it's not" Hermione said quietly, then she took a few steps forward, not taking her eyes off the two new comers "Is it you? Is it really you?" 

"Yes, Hermione" The boy nodded "It's us" She stared at him, eyes misting up.

"Mum? Who are they?" Calista asked. The boy looked over at Hermione, but - realising she probably wasn't going to answer - he turned back to her daughter.

"Since your mother seems to have temporarily lost the power to speak, allow me" He glanced at the girl beside him "This is my good and dear friend Luna Eloise Lovegood, and I am Harry James Potter"


	3. Part 2 - Early One Morning

One - Gryffindor vs Slytherin

(Hogwarts School, 14th of November, 1995)

"Early one morning, just as the sun was rising" Luna sang to herself as she flitted around her dorm room "I heard a maiden singing in the valley below" She span on her heels, then stopped as she heard a laugh from the door. 

"What's the matter, Loony? No one invite you to the match?" Luna turned to find Cho Chang leaning against the doorway. 

"No, Cho - no one has invited me" She said in a tired voice. 

"Not even Harry Potter?" Cho asked in a teasing tone "I thought after your big conversation on the way down from the station that you were best buds now?" Luna stared back at her, eyes unwavering.

"What do you want, Cho?" She asked quietly. Cho took two steps forward, then put her hand on her hips.

"Harry will never be friend with you, Loony" She snapped "He's a hero, and you? You are the whackjob child of a nutcase reporter" She paused, then smirked "One who pays more attention to his invented animals than he does to his only child" Luna bit her lip - the only outward reaction she gave - then smiled.

"As opposed to an accident of an alcoholic mother and a father who wants to sleep with everyone except his wife?" She asked. Cho stared at her, then sprang forward and slapped her across the face. A second later, she did it again, and again. 

"Don't you EVER speak about my family again, Loony, or this....." She slapped the girl for a fourth time "....will be the least of what I do to you" Luna stared up at her, blood trickling from her lip "Understand?"

"Yes" Luna said quietly. Cho stared at her for a moment.

"You're pathetic" She said dismissively, then turned and walked to the door. When she reached it, she turned back "No one wonder your mother died - if I had to spend every day looking at you, I would probably kill myself as well" Before Luna could respond, Cho left the dorm, slamming the door behind her. 

Luna wiped her lip, then she slowly walked over and lay down on her bed. 

Staring up at the ceiling, she started singing to herself again.

xoxox

"So - you ready to play Malfoy?" Ron asked as he, Hermione and Harry walked down the path that lead from the school to The Quidditch Pitch. Harry laughed.

"I think a better question is is he ready to play me?" He responded "He hasn't done much the last two times we've faced each other, and I doubt the year off he got last year would have increased his skills at all"

"But you haven't played in a year either" Hermione pointed out "Aren't you worried the gap would have dulled your skills and reactions?" Harry stared at her for a moment, then shrugged.

"This time last year I was out-flying a dragon" He said after a few moments "If I can out-fly one of the biggest and best fliers in the world, I should be able to out-fly Draco" 

"True" Ron gave a short laugh.

"Mr Potter" The three friends stopped as a voice came from behind them. Turning, they saw Dumbledore striding down the path towards them. 

"Headmaster" Harry gave a slight nod "To what do I owe the honour?" Dumbledore stared at him, then looked at Ron and Hermione.

"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley - if you would excuse us for a moment? I would like to talk to Mr Potter in private"

"Yes sir" Hermione nodded, then she and Ron continued down the path while Harry walked over to where Dumbledore was stood.

"Professor - I have a Quidditch game to get to" He said "If I am not there, Katie will have to forfeit, and you know how much that will annoy her" 

"I won't take up much of your time Harry" Dumbledore said with a slight smile "I just wanted to ask you if you had reconsidered what you said last night?"

"I have given it some thought, Headmaster" Harry replied.

"Excellent - I knew if I gave you time, you would......" Dumbledore trailed off as Harry raised his hand.

"I said I had given it some thought, Headmaster" Harry said when Dumbledore fell silent "I didn't say I had changed my mind"

"Harry - if Sirius tries this, I am afraid he will be caught and killed" Dumbledore said urgently "You have to write to him - tell him to remain in Grimmauld Place, at least until I can convince Minister Fudge of the true danger that now faces us"

"Headmaster - didn't Sirius used to be an Auror? If the stories he and Professor Lupin tell me, he was one of the best" 

"That is true, but what does this have to do with....." Dumbledore started, but again Harry interrupted him.

"If Voldemort is trying to get hold of something - a weapon, or something else he can use to gain power - then surely we should be trying everything we can to stop him!" Harry said, raising his voice. He glanced around, then lowered it again "We have to fight him with every weapon we have, or we might as well just sit back and let him take us all one by one" 

"Do you think I don't know that" Dumbledore said intently "But Peter Pettigrew will have told Voldemort, and Lucius, about The Marauders, and about Sirius' animagus form" He glanced around, then turned back to Harry "I fear that if Sirius goes abroad, even in his disguise, he will be recognised and it will get back to Lucius, Lord Voldemort and to Minister Fudge" He stared at the young boy "Do you want your Godfather arrested? Do you want him sent back to Azkaban?"

"So you think the solution is to lock him up in another prison?" Harry yelled, then - blushing slightly - he lowered his voice again "If you plan to keep him locked up in that place, you might as well send him back to Azkaban, Headmaster - he will suffer just the same either way" Dumbledore stared at him, then shook his head sadly.

"I see that you are not going to change your mind - that, like your godfather, you think your own wants and desires are more important than the future of our society" He stared at Harry for a moment longer "If you insist on doing this, then let the consequences be on your own head. I wash my hands of the whole affair"

"Very Pontious Pilate of you" Harry said, hoping he didn't sound as sarcastic as he thought he did "And I will ensure Sirius knows that he is on his own, so don't worry about relying on you" He turned back, intent on heading down to the Quidditch pitch again, but before he could start walking, Dumbledore called out again.

"One more thing, Harry" Harry took a deep breath, then turned round.

xoxox

Luna stared out from the top of The Astronomy Tower, watching as the dark clouds rolled across the sky. A moment later, she heard the sound of rushing water, then stared down in horror as she saw a tide of blood sweeping across the grounds towards the school. 

"You can't prevent it" Luna span round, almost losing her balance, and found herself face to face with an older woman. 

"Mummy?" She asked in wonder.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry, but I'm not your mother" The woman said sympathetically "But I was talking to her last night, and you really can't believe what that bitch Cho Chang says - your mother loved you, never doubt that"

"I know" Luna said, then glanced over her shoulder to see the blood red tide sloshing around the castle "What do you mean, I can't prevent it?"

"This is what must be - the shadow will fall across the country, and the land will run red with blood ere the darkness breaks" Luna raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Do you always talk like this?" She asked "Because you sound like you come from The First Age of Arda" The woman stared at her, then burst out laughing. 

"Sorry - but I always thought that dark, foreboding prophecies should be delivered in that tone. If I said 'People are gonna die and there's frak all you can do about it', would you take it as seriously?" Luna looked at her thoughtfully.

"I suppose not" She glanced back to see the sea of blood had risen half way up the castle walls "So - Voldemort's going to win?"

"No one is ready to stop him" The woman said sadly "But - if you are willing - there is something I can do. It won't prevent the fall of night, and the darkness that follows, but it does mean that the dawn will eventually come, and peace will return to the land" Luna scrunched her eyes up, trying to work out what the woman was saying.

"What happens if I am not willing?" She asked.

"Then you, your father and everyone else will die in the most horrible, bloody ways imaginable" The woman replied. Luna stared at her, then took a step forward as she heard the waves reach the top of the tower. 

"So what you're saying is I don't really have a choice?" Luna continued "I either do what you want, or I die?"

"You always have a choice" The woman smiled "It might not be the best choice, but it is still a choice" She paused "So, my little moon flower, what is it to be? Will you help me?" Luna stared at her, then shrugged.

"What do I have to lose?" She said with a grin, then realised the woman was looking at her sadly "And why do I think I'm going to regret asking that question?"

xoxox

"One more thing, Harry" Dumbledore called out as Harry started to turn away from him. For a moment, it looked like the boy would keep on walking, but then Harry stopped, turned around and then..... vanished.

"Harry?" He strode forward until he was stood where the boy who lived had been standing a moment before "HARRY?"

xoxox

Ron and Hermione turned as Dumbledore's voice echoed across the grounds. 

"HARRY!" The Headmaster shouted again. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, then turned and ran back up the path to where Dumbledore was looking around.

"Professor? Where's Harry?" Hermione asked as they skidded to a halt in front of him. 

"He...." Dumbledore started, then trailed off, looking slightly confused "He was just here, but he vanished"

"Vanished?" Ron said doubtfully "Do you mean he apparated?"

"You can't apparate....." Hermione started, but Dumbledore raised his hand, making her fall silent. 

"You are correct, Miss Granger, but whatever happened to Harry was instantaneous and something I have never seen before" He said quickly, then he paused, taking a breath "Mr Weasley - please to go the Quidditch pitch and summon the rest of the staff. I need to organise a search party for Mr Potter as soon as possible"

"Yes, sir" Ron nodded, then bolted off down the path in the direction they had come from. 

"Miss Granger - please ask Miss Bell and the rest of her team to come here as well. I feel they will be useful in searching the grounds" Hermione nodded.

"Yes sir" She turned, then turned back "Sir?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?" 

"Harry had a method of finding people in the grounds" She said carefully "Fred and George know how it works, and I think that Sirius and Professor Lupin do as well"

"I will keep that in mind, Miss Granger, but if you could put your mind to the task at hand, I would be very grateful" Hermione blushed.

"Yes sir" She nodded, then turned and ran after Ron. Dumbledore watched her for a moment, then he pulled out his wand and started scanning the area.

xoxox

Half an hour later, he stared out at the assembled group in The Great Hall, and felt his heart sink.

"Professor Flitwick - did you detect any kind of magical transport?" He asked.

"No, Professor" The diminutive professor shook his head "As far as I can tell, there have been no spells cast in that spot for nearly a month. No magic, no portkeys - nothing that would generate the kind of magic needed to transport Mr Potter in the manner you saw it happen"

"Fred, George - have you been able to locate him on your map?" Dumbledore turned to the twins.

"Sorry, Headmaster - he isn't there" They paused "Although when he went into The Chamber to rescue our sister, he vanished from the map" 

"There are also one or two other places he might not show up" Remus said from the left of The hall "While Sirius, James and I explored the vast majority of the school and encoded it in the map, I am not so arrogant as to believe we found everything"

"So there are more places to search" Dumbledore nodded "Very well - once we are finished here, I would like Minerva, Filius and Remus to lead three parties through every part of the school - leave no stone unturned" He paused "Professor Umbridge returned to The Ministry this morning, be she is going to be returning soon. I would like the search to be completed by then,one way or the other" 

"What if we don't find him?" Hermione asked "He has already got Umbridge's attention, and I am fairly sure she will notice he is gone before too long"

"I will cross that bridge when we come to it" Dumbledore said "But if we can find him before she returns it would be better" Everyone nodded, then started to file out of The Great Hall. Dumbledore strode down the main aisle, then stopped when Flitwick walked up to him "Filius? Do you have something to add?" 

"Yes, Albus - or at least I think I do" He paused "I do not know if it is connected, but Luna Lovegood is missing as well" Dumbledore blinked a few times.

"Missing?" He asked after a moment "Are you sure?"

"Cho Chang reported seeing her in the dorms before the match was due to begin, but when I did a quick head count of my students she wasn't there" Flitwick said "No one has seen her, and no one knows where she is"

"Very well - I will ask Fred and George to keep an eye out for her as well" Dumbledore replied "But from what I understand, she is something of a lonely girl? She keeps to herself?"

"Yes, Professor" Flitwick nodded "That's why I am not sure if she is missing or not. It might be that she has just gone for a walk, and doesn't know that anything is wrong" He paused "But on the other hand - if her disappearance is bound up with Mr Potter's, it might provide us with more information and help us resolve both situations more quickly" 

"I will ensure that the parties begin to look for her as well, Filius - do not worry about your wayward student - they will both be found"

"Of course, Albus" Flitwick nodded, then turned and strode out of The Hall. Dumbledore followed after him, then turned and walked back out in to the grounds, back to where he had seen Harry vanish.

"Harry, my boy - where are you?"

xoxox

_"One more thing, Harry"_

Harry turned on the spot, then stopped.

He closed his eyes for a few moments, then slowly opened one eye, peeking at the sight in front of him. Then he opened his other eye and stared ahead in utter confusion and slight disbelief.

"It's night" He said to himself. "It wasn't night when I was facing the other way" He paused, then quickly span round. 

"It's still night" He continued "So I guess it is night everywhere" He turned round again "And the castle is in ruins" His gaze roamed over the piles of stones, the half formed walls and doors, and the general detritus he'd seen in news reports of terrorist bombings.

"Or earthquakes" He thought "Is that what happened? Has there been an earthquake?" He shook his head "Earthquakes don't turn day to night in a flash - at least not muggle ones" He continued to stare at the ruins, then he blinked in surprise. 

_"Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard a maiden singing in the valley below"_

"Singing?" He looked around, trying to determine where the faint singing was coming from, but after a few minutes he gave up, drew his wand and started walking up the path again.

xoxox

"Oh don't deceive me, oh do not leave me" Luna lay on her back, singing to herself "How could you use a poor maiden so"

"Luna?" Her eyes flicked open and she rolled on to her side.

"Harry Potter?" She stared at him in bemusement "Why are you in my dream?" Harry stared back at her.

"Luna - this isn't a dream" He said, then walked over and sat down on the ground next to her. 

"Yes it is" She said "I was in my dorm, before the Quidditch match, then - after Cho slapped me three times for calling her mother a drunk and her father a philanderer and her an unwanted accident - I lay down to have a little nap" She looked up at the stars overhead "Then I saw a tidal wave of blood sweep over the castle and destroy everything in its path, then I found myself in these ruins" She stared back at him "What else could this be but a dream?"

"Cho slapped you?" Harry asked, making Luna laugh.

"I told you that I dreamt about a tidal wave of blood destroying everything it touched, and you are more worried about a few slaps from a spoiled little rich girl?" She sat up, leaning against the remains of the wall behind her. Harry blushed slightly.

"I just thought....." He trailed off "People shouldn't hit people - at least, not their friends" Luna smiled.

"That's very sweet, Harry Potter" She said after a moment "But I don't have friends - at least, not in Ravenclaw. They all think I am loony" She picked up a stone and started playing with it "So why do you think I am not dreaming?"

"I was walking down to The Quidditch Pitch, with Hermione and Ron, and Dumbledore called me back" He paused "He wanted to talk about my godfather"

"Who's your godfather?" She asked interestedly. Harry gazed at her for a moment, then shrugged.

"Sirius Black - but he isn't a Death Eater"

"Of course he isn't a Death Eater - how could anyone think that?" Luna asked in bemused surprise. Harry opened his mouth, but she continued before he could speak "He's a rock singer in a muggle band named Stubby Boardman"

"There's a band named Stubby Boardman?" Harry felt his head starting to spin.

"No - the band is called The Hobgoblins" She said with a smile "The lead singer is named Stubby Boardman, but his stage name is Sirius Black" Harry stared at her, feeling a slight throbbing in the back of his skull, then shook his head.

"Anyway - Dumbledore called me back to talk about Sirius......"

"Why? Is he a fan of The Hobgoblins?" Luna put the rock down and gave her full attention to Harry. 

"No" Harry shook his head "He wanted me to write to Sirius to ensure he stayed put in Grimmauld Place......" He trailed off frowning slightly "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place" He looked at her "I can say it. I can say the address"

"Okay" Luna nodded, looking at him as if he was a dangerous lunatic.

"No - you don't understand" He paused, taking a breath "Grimmauld Place is under a fidelius charm - I shouldn't be able to tell you the address"

"But this is a dream, Harry Potter, then you can do anything you want" She picked up another rock and started tossing it form hand to hand. Harry stared at her for a moment, then quickly knelt down and grabbed the rock mid-toss. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Luna - I was talking to Dumbledore and it turned to night. The castle went from being Hogwarts School to a complete ruin. Everyone vanished - everyone" He stood up and threw his arms wide "There's no one here, Luna. Just you and me" She stared up at him. 

"This isn't a dream?" She said, her voice starting to break. He knelt down beside her again, and looked at her sympathetically. 

"No" He said quietly "This isn't a dream" She looked around, tears starting to run down her cheeks, then looked back at him.

"She told me" She was barely whispering "She told me that this would happen. That I couldn't prevent it. That I could choose to go with her, but that if I stayed I couldn't change it" She reached out and grabbed his hands "Harry - what's going on? Where are we?"

"I think the more important question is when are we" He said looking around "I was talking to Dumbledore one second, then the next second the school was destroyed and it was night"

"I was sleeping, and I woke up on the floor" She nodded.

"So we are in the future?" He asked, and she shrugged "I think we need to go to Hogsmeade. Maybe they'll be able to tell us something" He realised she was staring at him doubtfully "What?"

"If this is what has happened to Hogwarts, what do you think Hogsmeade will be like?" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"We started walking through the grounds" Harry said to the group in front of him "But then we encountered our first problem" He paused "Well - our first problem other than being displaced in time"

xoxox

(Hogwarts School, 15th of November, 2014)

"Harry - do you know how to apparate yet?" Luna asked as they strode towards where the main gates had been. 

"No" He shook his head "I think we were going to be taught in the sixth year" He paused "Why?"

"Because we need to get out of here now - right now" She said insistently. He turned to face her, then looked past her. 

"Aragog" He said "I might have known he and his thrice-cursed family would have survived"

"We probably can't out run them" She said "And I am pretty sure we aren't powerful enough to fight them off" 

"So what? We stand and reason with them?" She stared at him, then started laughing.

"And people call me loony" She shook her head "No - I think what we need to do is this...." She grabbed his hand, and a second later he felt a strange pulling sensation in his stomach, that quickly migrated upward to his head and it started spinning.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped and he found himself standing in the middle of a row of burned out houses and shops. 

"What....."

"Dual Apparation" She said a little breathlessly "My mother and father used to take me to work with them by that method, and I sort of picked it up along the way" She looked him up and down "Ten fingers, ten toes, one head, one nose" She nodded "Okay - we didn't lose any of you during the trip" She paused "At least none of the parts I can see" She glanced at his waist making him blush.

"That's still there as well" He said, making her laugh.

"Just checking" She grinned, then looked around "Looks like Hogsmeade hasn't faired any better than the school did" He stared at her for a moment longer, then he looked around as well.

"So whatever happened happened everywhere?" He asked "Not just to Hogwarts, but to the whole country?"

"It would seem so" She nodded, staring at the burned out remnants of The Three Broomsticks. After a moment, she turned to face him. 

"So - what do we do now?" She asked. He glanced down the street, then looked back at her.

"First, we need to find something to eat" He said "I don't know about you, but I am a little hungry, and if we are going to go somewhere else, I am going to have to get some food" She nodded, then blushed as her stomach gave a little growl. 

"Then....." He paused, then shrugged "Then we need to find someone who knows what's going on" He waved his arms around, encompassing the devastation "Is this a natural disaster? A magical explosion?"

"Or a war" Luna said quietly "You said that Voldemort returned after The Tournament. What if all this is a result of a war with him?" 

"Like I said - we need to find someone who knows what is going on" He glanced at his watch - it still read 11:25am "And we need to find out what time it really is, because I am pretty sure it's not midday any more"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"We walked around five miles to the nearest muggle village" Luna said, leaning back in her chair "By the time we got there, the sun was coming up. We found an all night supermarket, stole some food and then walked to a nearby park to eat it" 

"You stole the food?" Calista asked in surprise.

"I had about five galleons on me" Luna said "And Harry was still in his Quidditch robes"

"Oh" Calista paused, then nodded "That makes sense - sorry" Luna waved her hand dismissively.

"That was the least of our crimes over the last few months" She said with a smile.

xoxox

(Dalton On The Wey, 16th of November, 2014)

"So where to now?" Harry asked, dropping the empty sandwich packet in to the bin. Luna took a last gulp of orange juice, then put the bottle down on her knee. 

"The sensible part of me says we should go to London" She said, gazing back at him "If any part of the magical world survived, then it would be there. The Ministry, the magical embassies - even the goblins of Gringotts might be able to give us some answers" 

"That makes sense" He nodded.

"But if what we saw happened because of a war against Voldemort - a war we apparently lost - then going to The Ministry might be a very, very bad idea" She continued "If I were an evil Dark Lady, hell bent on ruling society and killing all those who opposed me, I would use The Ministry to do it"

"Explains Fudge" Harry said with a grin, making her laugh "Why not Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts wasn't just a school" Luna shook her head "It was the unofficial, unacknowledged headquarters of The Army Of Light" 

"And if Voldemort was going to win a war, he would have to invade it" He nodded in understanding.

"Something that our friends would have objected to" Luna grinned "It's entirely possible that the battle was so destructive, so violent, that it would have razed the school to the ground and rendered it entirely useless" 

"So The Ministry would be the next choice" Harry sighed "So we could turn up at The Ministry and find Hermione running it, wondering where we have been for..... for however long we have been away for"

"Or we could find Voldemort and an army of Death Eaters waiting for us" Luna said "And we won't have a clue which it is until it is way too late"

"So what's the other alternative?" He asked "You said the sensible part of you wanted to go to London. What about the other part of you? The less sensible part"

"I want my daddy" She said, her voice breaking slightly "He will be able to help us, and....."

"And you want to know he is okay" He said softly, making her nod "Where do you live?"

"Near Ottery St Catchpole" She replied.

"Near Ron?" He asked in surprise, and she smiled.

"We live about two miles away from The Burrow" She said "That's why I thought if we went to Daddy's house, we could probably go to The Burrow as well - see if The Weasleys know what is happening" 

"Makes sense" He sat back down next to her "Although that does lead to one more question" He paused "How are we going to get there? I mean - you couldn't apparate us, could you?"

"No" She shook her head "I mean - I know the theory, and I know how to do it, but to cover that distance takes a lot of power and I am no where near old enough" 

"What about a lot of short jumps?"

"Too tiring - the one from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade was about as far as I can go, and that took a lot out of me" She closed her eyes for a moment "We'd have to do around a hundred, maybe two to get to Daddy's house, and I could only do maybe two a day at most" 

"Okay - no apparation" He said, then he glanced over at the street "We could get the bus, but I don't know which one's we'd need to take" He paused "And we have no money to pay for it"

"We could get a bus to a big city, then ask directions from there" Luna suggested "Someone must know where the town is, and where the nearest city is" 

"That still leaves the question of money" He pointed out, then narrowed his eyes as she simply smiled at him "Luna?"

"Do you trust me?" She asked, and he nodded "Then leave the money to me"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"I dread to think" Draco said with a smile. Luna turned to him, a curious expression on her face. He blushed "Sorry. But since you've been gone, a lot of work has been dedicated to learning as much about you - both of you - as we could"

"And what have you learned?" She asked interestedly. 

"That far from being a whack-job nutcase......" He trailed off, suddenly turning bright red "Those were Miss Chang's words, not mine" She nodded "Far from being the person that most of your compatriots made you out to be, you were in fact one of the most unique and original thinkers of our time" He paused, then looked at Hermione who had just opened her mouth "Yes - I know it means one of a kind. If you have a problem you can take it up with Padma or myself later" Hermione opened her mouth again, then narrowed her eyes.

"Are you teasing me, Mr Malfoy?" She asked.

"Yes" He nodded "But if you call me Mr Malfoy again, it will go badly for you. Mr Malfoy was a bigoted, insane lunatic of a man who grovelled at the feet of a deranged half-wit" He paused "I am Draco Black, son of Narcissa"

"My apologies" Hermione nodded, and Draco smiled.

"So - what did you learn about me?" Harry asked, then looked around the table in the complete silence that followed "Or maybe a whole different question, like does anyone know who Carlo Lorenzini is?" 

"The given name of the man who wrote Pinocchio" Hermione said "And as for your first question - how about you tell us the rest of your story before we bring you up to date with our history" Harry stared at her thoughtfully, then nodded. Turning back to Draco, he continued.

"To ease your worries, Luna didn't do anything too bad" He said with a smile "But the lessons we learned from Professor McGonagall came in very hand" 

xoxox

(Glasgow Bus Station, 16th of November, 2014)

Luna stared at the bus timetables for a few minutes, then turned back to Harry.

"I think if we get the next bus to Birmingham, we can get one from there to Exeter" She said "It'll take about a day in total, but I don't think we get there any faster without going through London"

"What about trains?" He pointed out of the window behind them to where a large building stood across the street "There might be a train that runs directly from here to somewhere in the south?" She stared at him in bemusement.

"Muggles have trains?" She asked "Really?"

"Really" He nodded, then held out his hand "Come along" 

xoxox

Five minutes later, Luna was staring in wonder at the array of platforms laid out in front of her.

"The trains go to more than one place?" She asked "They don't set off from here and arrive at the other end?" Harry grinned.

"Yes - they visit more than one place" He said "But they do it in order, which is why the train we want is going to take about five hours to go from here to Exeter" He smiled "Quicker than taking a bus, and probably slightly more comfortable" She stared at him, then looked back at the list of platforms and destinations.

"Which one?" She asked. He held up his hand and pointed across the station.

"That one"

xoxox

Ninety minutes later, Harry watched as Luna stared out of the window at the countryside flashing by. 

After a few minutes, she turned back to face him.

"Harry....." She started off, and he couldn't help grinning "What?"

"Are you going to tell me you're bored?" He asked, and she nodded "Me too" He admitted, glancing at the window "At least on The Express we have friends" He looked over at her, only to find her staring at her fingers. Running over what he had just said, he cursed himself. 

"Anyway - since you can only look out of the window for so long before you realise that houses, trees, cows and pylons all pretty much look the same at a hundred miles an hour, the muggles created another ingenious thing" He paused dramatically, making her roll her eyes.

"Are you going to tell me what?" She asked.

"They created - WORD GAMES!" He said in an imposing voice, making her burst in to applause "You don't know what I am talking about, do you?"

"In a word - no" She shook her head.

"Okay" He grinned "Here's the first one" He looked around, and spied a poster about Blackpool down the end of the carriage "I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with T" She stared at him politely, and he laughed "Now - you have to look around, and see if you can see something that begins with T" She looked around, then turned back.

"Table?" She asked.

"Good guess, but no" He shook his head.

"But it does start with T" She pointed out. 

"That's true" He admitted "But it wasn't the thing I was looking for"

"Oh" She blinked in surprise "You didn't tell me that part"

"That's also true - sorry" He said, then she turned around again. This time she took three minutes, before she turned back.

"I can definitely see it?" She said, and he nodded. Then she turned back again and looked down the length of the carriage. Almost at once, she turned back. 

"Tower!" She declared, and he nodded happily. 

"Well done" He paused "Now it's your turn" She looked at him, then looked around the carriage. 

"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with G" She said after a moment. He looked around, then turned back.

"Green cushion covers?" He asked, making her smile.

"No" She shook her head.

"Green light at the end of the carriage meaning someone has just come out of the toilet so it's free to use?" He asked and she giggled.

"No" 

"Oh" He leaned back in his chair, then looked down the carriage again. A moment later, he looked back at her.

"It is something I can see? Because I happen to have green eyes, but if it's that....."

"It's not green eyes" She shook her head again, still smiling.

"Okay" He paused, then looked down the carriage again. After a few minutes, he turned back.

"I've got it" He grinned. She looked at him inquisitively "Glasses" She smiled.

"Yes" She nodded "Your turn" He looked around, then turned back.

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with....."

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th February, 2015)

"Potter" Draco interrupted, making everyone look at him.

"No - L" Luna said "It was going to be L for Light" She paused "Besides, I don't think any words start with Potter" She frowned "Except Pottermore, but I think that counts as two words, rather than one" 

"And Pottery" Harry pointed out.

"And Pottery" Luna nodded "Although why the muggles made up a word to describe something that is like you is a bit confusing as well" She tilted her head to one side "Are there a lot of things like you in the muggle world?" Harry laughed, then looked at Draco.

"You wanted something, Draco?" He said.

"I was just wondering how long you were going to regale us with tales of the muggle world, and if you were going to get to the point any time soon?"

"Well - I was going to do L for Light, as Luna said, and then she was going to do R - and let me tell you that one took forever" Hermione furrowed her brow.

"Railway carriage?" She asked "Railway? Random stranger? Real life?" She glanced at Luna "Random Act of Snorkack?" Luna laughed.

"Nothing so exciting" She said with a shake of her head "In fact - you can see it here as well" Everyone looked around in surprise "But for now, we'll cut to the end of the journey"


	4. Part 3 - Esgalduin

One - Exeter

(Exeter Town Centre, 16th of November, 2014) 

"According to the nice lady behind the desk, we can get the 291 from just over yonder, and it will take us through Ottery St Catchpole town centre" Harry walked back over to Luna, who was staring out of the window. 

"We live about two miles from there" Luna replied "When does the bus leave?" 

"About twenty minutes" He said "Why?" She blushed, then pointed out of the window to a shop across the road. He followed her finger, then smiled.

"I think we've got time" He nodded.

xoxox

"Oh my goddess" Luna let out a moan of pure ecstasy as she popped a block of white chocolate in to her mouth, making Harry smile.

"Nice?" He asked. She turned to him, still chewing, and grinned. Swallowing, she pulled another block from the bar.

"How have I never tasted this before?" She asked "If we can rescue the magical world from the chaos it has fallen in to, we have to come back here" 

"I will put it on the list" Harry grinned "And we definitely have to bring Hermione here, assuming......" He trailed off, grin fading slightly. Luna swallowed the block of chocolate quickly, then reached out to take his hand.

"If you were to put money on any of our friends surviving an apocalypse, I'd put Hermione Jane Granger at the top of that list" She said quietly "I know you are worried, but there's nothing we can do until we get to Daddy's" He stared at her, then smiled weakly.

"I know" He gave her a slightly brighter smile "I think we have enough left to buy another five bars" He paused "So - what would you like to try next?"

xoxox

Half an hour later, Harry held out his hand and helped Luna down from the bus, then they turned and walked over to the shelter by the Town Hall.

"Feeling better?" He asked. She looked up at him with an embarrassed smile.

"Who likes that stuff?" She said, pulling a face "Turkish Delight? Should be called....." She paused, then shook her head "I can't think of a word bad enough to describe it" She looked up at him "How could anyone who isn't utterly evil even stomach it?"

"Aunt Petunia liked it" He said, then frowned "Never mind" She gave a short laugh, then slowly stood up. 

"We should get going" She said "It'll be getting dark soon, and the woods around Daddy's house can get scary in the dark"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"I'll save you the story of our exciting trip through Ottery" Harry said with a smile "If only because I am sure Draco doesn't want to hear about the battle with dementors, the fight against two dozen acromantulas and how I saved a bus load of nuns from a rampaging swamp-dragon" Draco rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for that, Potter" He said with a faint smile.

"And I will simply say that - about two hours later - we arrived at The House of Lovegood" He glanced over at Luna, who was staring down at the table, then at Hermione, who wasn't meeting his gaze "You know what we found, don't you?" Hermione looked up, opened her mouth, then closed it again, and simply nodded.

xoxox

Two - Esgalduin

(Esgalduin, 16th of November, 2014)

Luna stared at the ruin of her father's home in complete silence. Behind her, Harry stood quiet, watching the area for any attack. 

"It's gone" She said after what seemed like an eternity. She turned to face Harry "Esgalduin - my home. The house my father built for my mother - the house he named after the site where the two greatest lovers in history first me....." She turned back to stare at the site before them "It's gone"

"Maybe...." Harry started, then he saw Luna's shoulder's shaking, and he realised she was crying silent tears. He walked up behind her and enfolded her in his arms. She leaned back in to him, closing her eyes as the tears continued to fall.

"What if he's dead?" She asked quietly, through her tears "What if all of them are dead?" She broke away from his arms and span round to face him "What if everyone is dead?"

"Shhhhh. Shhhhh" He pulled her in to a hug again, stroking the back of her hair "All we know is that your house was attacked" He stared over her head to the ruins in front of her "I know this will be hard, but if we can go in to it, and look through whatever is left, we might learn what has happened, and where he might be" He paused, then took a deep breath.

"He ran The Quibbler from home?" He asked, and felt her nod against his chest "So we might be able to learn what has been going on while we were..... gone?" She nodded again "I know it will be hard, but do you think you can come with me and help me?" She pulled out of his arms and straightened up.

"Yes" She nodded firmly.

"Okay" He drew his wand again, and a moment later, she followed suit "Ready?"

"No"

"Excellent"

xoxox

Luna looked around the remains of her front room, and closed her eyes again.

"Where was your father's office?" She heard Harry ask from behind her. She turned.

"Up the stairs to the right" She glanced at the spiral staircase that ran up the centre of her house "You should probably be careful if you're going up there"

"The thought had occurred" He gave her a tentative smile, which she returned, then he started to make his way carefully up the iron stairs. She watched him until he was out of sight, then turned back and continued to search through the rubble and mess.

xoxox

Pushing the door to the office open, Harry winced as it fell off its hinges and crashed onto the floor.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Luna's voice drifted up from below.

"I'm fine" He shouted back "I just.... it's nothing" 

"Okay" He walked in to the office and over to the desk. There were piles of papers - copies of The Quibbler he realised after a moment. Flicking through them, his mouth fell open.

"Oh my god" He said under his breath, then he started to read them again, taking out the duplicates, and stacking them in order.

xoxox

"HARRY!" Harry jumped as Luna's voice exploded from below. Putting the paper he had been reading down on the pile, he turned and bounded out of the room and towards the stairs.

A few seconds - and two near falls later - he stood beside her as she stared at the picture above the fireplace.

"Luna? Are you okay?" He asked, then - when she didn't turn - he reached out and tapped her shoulder, making her jump and spin round, wand raised "I surrender" He said, backing away and dropping his wand on the floor.

"Harry?" She said, then she shook her head, glanced at her wand. Lowering it, she looked back up at him "Sorry - I was.... distracted" She turned back and pointed at the picture "What do you see?" Harry stared at it, then looked back at her.

"A strange picture of some kind of.. moose?" She rolled her eyes.

"This was the first work of art my mother created for my father" She said, walking up to it "It's a mosaic - made up of hundreds of pictures of them together" Harry walked up next to her and stared at it.

"Wow" He said softly "That's beautiful" 

"For a picture of a moose?" She asked with a grin, making him blush "But it's wrong" She pointed to one area "Four of the pictures are out of sequence here - they should show the events leading up to their wedding, but instead they show my birth" She scanned the rest of the picture, then found what she was looking for "These four are the one that shows them meeting" Harry looked at them, then turned to her.

"So what do you think?" He asked "Some kind of sign? A secret code?" He glanced back at the picture "Because it does seem an oddly specific change if it happened by accident" Luna nodded.

"I guess there's only one way to find out" She said, then raised her wand "Transmatus Charvana" As Harry watched, the eight tiles levitated out of the mosaic, exchanged places, then slowly moved back in to it. 

When they were in position, the entire mosaic lit up, shining with bright light, then a beam of bright white shot out, projecting an image on the floor in front of them.

"Hello, my dearest, darlingest daughter" Harry turned to Luna, only to see her face light up.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed.

"As I am recording this, it has been ten years since you and Harry Potter vanished" The projected image of Xenophillius continued "Everyone tells me that I should let go - that the two of you are dead and gone, and that I should move on. But I know - in my heart of hearts - that you and Harry Potter will return you will bring about the restoration and save us all" He paused "But no pressure" Harry snorted in amusement.

"Upstairs I've left a number of The Quibbler that show what has happened in the past decade - they don't make for happy reading, but I think once you understand the world we are in, you will know what to do" He paused "According to our spies inside The Ministry, The Inquisitorial Squad is coming for me tonight, so I don't have much time" The projection glanced over to where the window had been "I left a trunk in the place where you hide your diary - you will find it useful if you are going to help The Scar and The Moon" He paused "Don't worry, I didn't read your diary sweetheart" Luna let out a soft laugh.

"Hopefully I will live to see you when you return, but if I don't, remember that your mother and I will always love you, and that whatever you do, we will always be proud of you" 

"Oh Daddy" She said sadly, then turned to Harry "Ten years. We've been gone ten years?" He bit his lip.

"I found The Quibblers upstairs" He paused "The last one was dated around nine years ago" She stared at him in disbelief.

"NINETEEN YEARS?" She exclaimed "We've been gone nineteen years?"

"I think so, yes" He nodded "And, like your father said, they haven't been good years" He glanced up at the ceiling "Do you want....." She shook her head.

"I'm going to look for the trunk first" She said quietly "And there are a few things I want to get from my bedroom" She paused "I'd rather do this alone, if you don't mind" He smiled fondly.

"I'll go up and collect the papers" He looked around "Do you have a bag or a rucksack or something?"

"There's probably one in the kitchen, under the sink" She said, then started off up the stairs.

xoxox

"Luna?" After sorting all the papers and putting them in the backpack he'd found, Harry looked up the staircase again, wondering what was taking Luna so long. When he got no response, he swung the pack on to his shoulders, then slowly started making his way up.

xoxox

He found Luna lying on her bed, staring up the ceiling.

"Luna? We should be going. I'm worried if we wait around too long, Voldemort or this Inquisitorial Squad will come looking for us" She rolled on to her side, and stared up at him.

"Where are we going to go?" She asked "If Voldemort has taken the country, where can we hide?" She flopped back on the bed "Even if we get out of here, we can’t escape. Only Elves can escape. Away, away out of Middle-earth, far away over the Sea. If even that is wide enough to keep the Shadow out" He stared at her for a moment, then put the pack down on the floor and lay down next to her.

"From what I've been reading, we've got two or three choices" He said, sliding his hand in to hers "We can try to flee to France - they seem to be resisting Voldemort's efforts to invade and his attempts at diplomacy"

"Would make sense" She nodded "Ever since the Revolution they have been fiercely against any type of class or purity wars" 

"Or we can turn our selves in to The Inquisitorial Squad and take what's referred to as 'The Oath'" 

"That sounds..... ominous" She said.

"Basically you swear on your life and your soul that you will obey Voldemort in everything" She pushed herself up on to one arm and stared down at him.

"You really want to do that?" She asked "And you really think Voldemort would take The Boy Who Lived in to his service?" He laughed.

"It's not strictly speaking service" He said "You don't have to join his Army of Doom, you just have to promise not to fight him" 

"Because that is so much better?" She rolled her eyes "So I take it that's not something you are going to do?"

"Not a hope" He paused "But I thought if it might save you....." She reached out with her free hand and laid it on his mouth.

"What's the third option?" She asked. 

"Mppph mhffff mppppphff mf" He said, making her smile. She lifted her hand up.

"What did you say?"

"I said 'Mppph mhffff mppppphff mf'" He repeated. She rolled her eyes, then lay back on the bed.

"You're not funny, you know" She said with a smile.

"I know" He admitted "But I'm young and cute, so what does it matter?" She laughed "Anyway - our third option is to rejoin magical society, and see what we can do to set the world to rights" She propped herself up again, staring at him in surprise.

"You think we can?" She asked.

"I think so" He nodded "And I think I know where we can start" She narrowed her eyes, but he merely smiled back at her "So, Luna Eloise Lovegood, what do you say? Want to save the world?" She stared at him for a moment longer, then shrugged.

"Okay"

xoxox

Three - Return To Privet Drive

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"We set up our base in Little Whining" Luna said, glancing at Harry "After the massacre of 2002, he didn't think that Voldemort would come back there, especially not to look for someone the whole world had thought dead for nineteen years" 

"The first month or so was spent catching up on everything we'd missed" Harry continued "Partly through The Quibblers that Xeno left, but through trips out to Diagon Alley and other magical areas of the country" He paused. then looked up at Hermione "That was when we learned about Ron"

xoxox

(Number 4, Privet Drive, 22nd of November, 2014)

"You think we'll be safe here?" Luna asked, looking around Harry's childhood home.

"I think so, yes" Harry smiled. The village of Little Whining had been abandoned after the massacre, but most of the houses were still intact. He later learned that his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin had fled after Hogwarts fell, not trusting to the wards any longer "We can set up some detection and protection wards - it should ensure that we aren't taken by surprise at least"

"Okay" Luna nodded, then she turned back to him "I know we've been relying on muggle money, but I think we are going to have to go to Gringotts sooner rather than later - we can't stay in the muggle world forever, not if we are going to bring about the restoration my father talked about" He turned and smiled at her.

"I know" He glanced around "We're also going to need to fix this place up a bit, especially if this will be the headquarters of the new army of the light" He paused "But for now, I think I just want to go to bed"

xoxox 

(Gringotts Bank, 23rd of November, 2014)

"Welcome to Gringotts" The goblin behind the counter glared down at the two wizard children in front of him "What can I help you with today?" Harry took a deep breath.

"I was wondering if I might speak to the manager on a matter of urgent and confidential business?" He said in his politest voice. The goblin looked him up and down.

"Ragnarok doesn't deal with wizards directly any more - not since The Ministry attempted to retake the bank" He glared at them "Your parents should teach you better, wizard" Harry glanced at Luna, who nodded supportively. 

"I'm afraid my parents died a while ago" Harry said in a voice so quiet that no one could overhear them "On the night of Halloween 1981" The goblin stared at him suspiciously, then stepped out from behind the counter.

"If you would like to come this way, I will see you are helped" He said, then lead them through a very solid looking gold door, along a torch-lit corridor and up to another gold door. The goblin knocked, then entered when bidden.

"Manager Ragnarok, I have two mages who have asked to see you" He said "I believe that it will be in your best interest" The manager of Gringotts looked across at them from behind his desk, then stood up.

"Who are you that you would dare to come before me?" Ragnarok asked in a cold voice.

"My name is Harry James Potter, son of James and of Lily" Harry said firmly "My friend is Luna Eloise Lovegood, daughter of Xenophillius and....." He trailed off, blushing.

"Marriel" Luna supplied.

"Marriel" Harry finished. Ragnarok stared at them with a look of mounting surprise, then he turned to the other goblin.

"Go - and say nothing of this"

"Yes, my Lord" The goblin nodded, then turned and left the office. As the door closed behind him, Ragnarok turned back to Harry and Luna.

"Do you have any proof of your claim, Mr Potter?" He asked. Harry glanced at Luna, who gave another encouraging smile. With a deep breath, he slid his hair back until his scar was uncovered.

"You could have cut yourself shaving" Ragnarok pointed out, making Harry laugh.

"I left my key in my trunk" He said after a moment "But surely you must have ways of detecting this? If a key gets stolen, you must be able to issue a new one?"

"That is true" Ragnarok nodded, then turned back to his desk. Picking up a small, silver stone, he faced Harry again "If you would hold your hand out?" 

"What will this do?" Harry asked staring at the stone.

"It will scan your magical signature, and compare it to the one that was created the first time you came in to the bank" The goblin manager said "It is quite painless - you might feel a slight tingling, but nothing more"

"Okay" Harry nodded, then held out his hand. Ragnarok put the stone on it, then - five seconds later - took it off.

"It seems that you are telling the truth" He said, putting the rock back on his desk "And while that does lead to a lot more questions, there will no doubt be time for those later" He paused, then drew himself up to his full height "What we can we help you with today?"

"I need to access my vault" Harry said quickly "And Miss Lovegood needs to access hers" He paused "And, while I have no desire to cause offence or say something wrong, I need to know that you will keep our return a secret. The Ministry - Voldemort - can not find out we are back" Ragnarok smiled.

"Normally I would kill you where you stand for daring to suggest that we would violate our customer's privacy by telling The Ministry" He said "However these are strange and interesting times, and as you have clearly been away for a while, I will pardon your rudeness" Harry smiled.

"Thank you" He paused "We could also use your help with one more thing....."

xoxox

An hour later, two young mages strolled back in to the main hall at Gringotts. The first - a young man - had short curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The second - a young woman - had long pitch black hair and dark brown eyes. Dressed in inconspicuous outfits, they walked up to another counter.

"Good morning and welcome to Gringotts" The goblin said in a bored tone "How may I help you this morning?"

"I'd like to withdraw 20 galleons from my account" The woman said brightly, handing over a gold key. The goblin examined it, then looked down at his desk.

"Miss Brown" He said, and she nodded. He made a note on the parchment, then pulled 20 gold coins out of the bag by his desk "There you go"

"Thank you" She nodded, then looked at her companion "Do you need anything, Richard?" 

"No, Emily, I have enough" He smiled at her. She grinned back, then looked up at the goblin.

"Thank you again" She smiled, then smiled slightly wider as she saw the faint hint of a smile reflected back at her. She took Richard's hand, then together they turned and walked towards the main doors.

When they were nearly there, Richard came to a stop, staring in surprise as an older man walked in to the bank. Emily followed his gaze, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

Striding towards them, dressed in the now familiar red and black of The Inquisitorial Squad, was Ronald Weasley.

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"I wanted to return home at once" Harry said "But Luna pointed out that we needed a few supplies, not least of which was some food" He let out a long slow breath "So we went shopping, got everything we needed, then returned to Privet Drive, and started looking through the papers" He paused, then looked up at Hermione again "Which is when we found out about Hogwarts, about Arcadia and what had happened to Ron"

xoxox

(Number 4, Privet Drive, 23rd of November, 2014)

"Ron?" Harry dropped the bag on the kitchen table, then turned to look at Luna "RON?"

"So it would appear" Luna said quietly. Harry stared at her for a moment, then started unpacking the bag.

"Maybe it's a trick" He said, putting some glass jars in the cupboards "Maybe he is..... is a double agent? Pretending to work for Voldemort but really working with The Scar and The Moon" He paused "Whoever they are"

"It's possible" Luna nodded, putting . Harry turned to look at her.

"Luna? Is there something you're not telling me?" She bit her lip, then nodded "What is it?" She put the last piece of fruit down, then walked out of the kitchen. 

A few moments later, she walked back in, carrying one of The Quibblers. 

"I think you should read this" She said. Harry stared at her for a moment, then held out his hand. She passed him the paper, then went back to unpacking.

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"It happened just before The Fall of Arcadia" Hermione said quietly "We'd been married nearly four years, and Calista was nearly three" She glanced at her daughter, then looked back at Harry "Voldemort was closing in on more and more of our ranks, and it looked like our days were numbered" She paused, then closed her eyes "Ron came to me one night, and suggested that we take the oath" 

"Ron suggested it?" Luna asked in surprise, and Hermione nodded.

"Why?" Harry asked. Hermione opened her mouth, but Draco raised his hand.

"How about you finish your story, then we'll tell you what's been happening in the years you were gone?" He said. Harry nodded.

"Okay" He looked over at Luna.

"Well - after we learned the truth about Ron, our plans changed"

xoxox

(Number 4, Privet Drive, 23rd of November, 2014)

Luna looked out of the kitchen to where Harry sat, gazing in to the empty fireplace. He'd been sat there for nearly two hours - ever since he had finished reading the article on Ron joining The IS.

She sighed, then picked up a jug of orange juice and two glasses. Carrying them through, she put them down on the table next to Harry.

"Drink?" She asked. When he didn't respond, she poured him one anyway, then set the glass down on the coaster by his chair.

"So - I was thinking. If we set up the wards at either end of Privet Drive, and one in the tunnel where you encountered the dementors, we should be able to get enough warning of any attacks to be able to flee, or at least hide" She leaned back in her chair "And, of course, if we create a huge inflatable version of Dumbledore, we should be able to scare off anyone who comes near" She looked over at him "Or I could just fashion a giant version of you - if Daddy's reports are anything to go by, you cut quite the mysterious hero nowadays"

"A real hero would have stopped his friend....." Harry started, then stopped as Luna slammed her glass down on the table, making him jump.

"Listen to me Harry Potter" She said fiercely "This is not your fault - you didn't ask Ron to betray everything you loved, everything you cared about. You were taken out of time and dropped back in two decades later" She jumped to her feet and then knelt down in front of him "This is not your fault - you could not have stopped it" He stared at her, but before he could respond she continued.

"But if you are just going to sit here, moping about the unfairness of life. If you are going to give up and not do anything to fix it, then that will be your fault" She paused "And if that's your plan......" She stared him in the eye, then shook his "If that's your plan, then I don't even want to look at you" She stood up and took a step back "So - what's it to be?" He stared up at her for a moment, then smiled.

"You told me your father was good at enchanting" He said, sitting forward "I don't suppose any of that skill rubbed off on you?" She looked at him curiously.

"Maybe a little" She said after a few seconds.

"So if we were to purchase, say, two sniper rifles from a gun shop in Greater Whining, would you be able to enchant them to fire spells using our wands as the source?" As he watched, her face morphed through disbelief, thoughtfulness, surprise, confusion then understanding. 

"Because if we are going to cast spells, we are probably going to do it at long range" She said "And neither of us are good enough to do that by hand" He nodded "I can give it a shot - no promises" She blinked, then added "No pun intended" He started laughing, then bounded to his feet.

"Okay then" He grinned "Lets get to work" 

xoxox

Four - The Dark Avengers

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"That was you?" Draco asked, and Harry couldn't help laughing at the surprise in the older man's voice "You two killed Zabini? And Crabbe? And Lucius?" 

"Amongst others" Luna nodded "It took me a few attempts to get the rifles to join up with our wands - I hadn't accounted for the scopes to start with - and then we spent about two weeks practising under glamours in the local park" She paused "And then - then we went out on our first mission"

xoxox

(Magical Town Square, Carnforth, 12th of December, 2014)

Blaise Zabini looked around the small crowd that had gathered, then turned back to the three people stood by the market cross.

"Colin Creevy, Dennis Creevy, Emma Creevy - you have all been found guilty of sedition, of treason and of belonging to the proscribed organisation The Scar and The Moon" He paused "For this you have been sentenced to death by killing curse. Sentence to be carried out in public, so that all may see what happens to those who dare to oppose our great and glorious Lord" He glanced at the line of Inquisitorial Squad members, then turned back to the three convicts.

"Do you have anything to say in your defence?" He asked.

"The Scar And The Moon will rise again, and restore justice to this land" Colin said.

"POTTER LIVES!" Dennis yelled.

"LONG LIVE LUNA!" Emma added. 

xoxox

From the roof of the building across the street, Luna stared in surprise at the exclamations of the three mages, then she lowered the sight of her scope until a light red dot appeared on the back of Blaise's head.

xoxox

From the top of the town hall, Harry lined up the scope of his rifle with the dot, then slowly slid his finger on to the trigger. 

xoxox

"Very well" Blaise drew himself up to his full height "Execution squad - once pace forward" The four mages in red and black took a step forward, and raised their wands "On my command. Ready..... Aim...."

xoxox

Harry took a deep breath, let it out, then squeezed the trigger.

xoxox

"F...." Colin, Dennis and Emma stared in surprise as a bolt of bright red light struck Blaise in the head, and he collapsed on the ground. A moment later, four more blasts of light followed and the members of The IS fell down as well.

"What the hell?" Colin exclaimed, but a moment later, he felt Emma pulling on his arm.

"Don't just stand there, doofus - RUN!" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015) 

"Ten days later, we prevented an attack on a muggle school, and around three weeks ago we found out where Crabbe lived, and executed him" Harry said quietly. He looked over at Draco "Then we learned about your.... about Lucius himself holding The Glorious Worship, and decided that we needed to make a statement"

"You're worried that I'd be annoyed you killed him?" Draco asked, a smile playing on his lips. Harry and Luna both nodded "I am just sorry that I didn't do it myself and that it didn't happen earlier" He leaned back in his chair "So you are The Dark Avengers?" Harry and Luna burst out laughing.

"That's what they're calling us?" Luna asked between giggles.

"According to our people in The Ministry, you are number one on Voldemort's list" Hannah said "Even ahead of Miss Granger and Draco here" Hermione and Draco both blushed, while Luna and Harry both looked incredibly proud. 

"So - if you don't mind me asking......" Harry started, then glanced at Luna.

"He's wondering how the Pampered Prince and The Smartest Witch ended up on the same team" Luna said with a grin "And how Ron ended up on the other side" She paused "And why Hermione has been in hiding for twelve years" 

"It's kind of a long story" Hermione said, glancing at her watch "Do you think we could make dinner first - Calista and I haven't had much to eat since last night" She looked over at Draco "Is the kitchen still available?"

"Well we usually require reservations, but I think in this case we can make an exception" He grinned at her. Luna watched the by play, then turned to Calista.

"Cally, is it?"

"Yes" The girl nodded.

"Want to help me make some food for everyone?" Calista glanced at her mother, who nodded, then turned back to Luna.

"Okay" They both stood up and started walking towards the nearest door. A moment later, they both stopped, and Luna turned back to the group.

"Where is the kitchen, exactly?"

xoxox

Five minutes later, they were searching through the shelves and cupboards, then Calista turned to Luna.

"So why me?" She asked. Luna turned and looked at her questioningly "Why did you want me to help?"

"Harry and your mother were best friends at Hogwarts" Luna said "I thought I'd let them catch up without having to include me as well" Calista frowned.

"You weren't friends with them?" She asked quietly.

"I'd really only just met them" Luna admitted "I mean - I knew who they were. By my fourth year, The Golden Trio were infamous - fighting the troll, stopping Voldemort, fighting the basilisk......" She trailed off as she realised Calista was staring at her with wide-eyed surprise "And you don't know any of this, do you?"

xoxox

"Nineteen years" Harry and Hermione were walking through the beer garden. He looked up at her "You grew up"

"People do" Hermione replied with a slight sigh "And you didn't" She paused "You have no idea?"

"One minute I was walking down to the match, the next I was staring at the wreck of Hogwarts" He shook his head "I thought maybe I'd been petrified all that time, but then you would have seen me"

"We searched the whole school three times over" Hermione nodded "There was no trace of you nor Luna, nor of you leaving either" She paused "Eventually we had to stop looking" She saw the sadness in his eyes "It's not that we gave up hope - I've always believed you would return at some point - it's just that....."

"That other things became more important" He nodded "Such as the battles that caused this" He waved his hands at the devastation they were walking through "I understand, Hermione - I really do" 

"So what are you going to do now?" She asked "I mean - are you going to come back to the fight proper, or continue these..... guerilla tactics?"

"Gorilla tactics?" Harry stared at her in amusement "You think I've been acting like a monkey?" She stared at him for a second, then threw back her head and laughed.

"Guerilla, not gorilla" She said, shaking her head "It means hit and run - assassinations rather than open warfare" She paused "Voldemort would describe them as terrorist tactics, but quite honestly it is just a matter of semantics" She smiled "And you didn't answer my question" 

"You noticed that, huh" He smirked, making her roll her eyes "And - to answer your question - I don't know" He sat down on a charred bench, and a moment later she sat next to him.

"I know it seems like I am doing okay, but I am still trying to get used to losing two decades of my life" He said quietly, staring at the ground "To the idea that Ron would join up with Voldemort" He paused "To the idea that you have a daughter - a daughter who is my age"

"Actually I think she's a little bit older" Hermione said. Harry looked up at her.

"You're not helping, you know" He paused "Six months ago I was coming back for my fifth year with my best friend in all the world and now....." He trailed off, blushing slightly.

"And now?" She asked.

"And now my best friend is grown up in to a truly beautiful woman, and has a daughter that is my age and is beautiful as well" Hermione raised her eyebrows slightly, but didn't comment "And what if I do rejoin the fight? Wouldn't it put all of you in more danger?" 

"Because being Numbers 1 to 20 on Voldemort's hit list is a walk in the park?" She asked sarcastically, but he shook his head.

"I am not trying to down play it, but if Voldemort knows about the prophecy, then wouldn't knowing that I am back - that the one person who can kill him is not missing any more - make him come after me?" He stared at her imploringly "If it gets out that you are sheltering The Boy Who Lived, your lives....."

"Will be in no more or no less danger than they are already" Hermione said flatly, then she held up her hand "How about you wait for us to tell you what's been happening, and then you can decide if you think we'll be in any more danger" He gazed at her for a moment, then nodded. She smiled - kindly at first, but then in a slightly wicked way "So - you really think I'm beautiful?"

xoxox

Calista blushed, then looked over at Luna.

"What makes you think that?" She asked, still blushing wildly. Luna smirked.

"How much do you know about me? About the Lovegood line?" 

"Nothing" Calista admitted "For the first few years, Mum didn't talk about you much, and once Arcadia fell and Dad abandoned us, she didn't talk about you at all" 

"So I could tell you that I am the last in a long line of seers, all of whom have the gift of perfect precognition, and you'd believe me?" 

"Well - not when you put it like that!" Calista laughed.

"Good - because I think that the average pigeon has more precognition than I do" Luna grinned "But I am very observant, and I can't help but notice you spent a lot of our story glancing at Harry" Calista blushed again.

"I was just curious about him" She said in an embarrassed tone "I mean - he saved my life, and my mother's. And he vanished nineteen years ago" 

"So did I" Luna pointed out, making Calista roll her eyes.

"What do you want me to tell you?" She said quietly "You'll get a better idea after Mum and Mr Black catch you up, but in the last twelve years we've moved houses seven or eight times and each time I've been put in a new school" She glanced back at the main bar "I know why we did it, and I was happy to do it because otherwise we'd be dead. But......"

"But it has made it hard to make friends" Luna said, and Calista nodded.

"There've been a few boys I've liked, but given that I never knew where I'd be living from one month to the next....." She trailed off and shrugged "You don't think he noticed, do you?"

"Harry?" Luna grinned "He is one of the most observant and intelligent boys I have met, but you have to remember the most important thing" 

"Which is what?" 

"Despite all that, he is still a boy" Calista grinned.

"Honey? You in here?" Hermione's voice called out.

"Yes love" Luna called back, making Calista laugh. 

"How are you coming with the sandwiches? Because you have a lot of hungry people out here" Hermione's voice came back.

"We're nearly finished" Calista shouted "Is the table all clear?"

"Yes, dear" 

"Then we'll be out in about five minutes" Calista turned back to Luna "You won't say anything, will you?" 

"Cross my heart" Luna replied "But given the looks he was casting you, I'm not sure he would mind"

"Really?" A faint smile crossed Calista's lips, then she turned back and started picking up the plates.


	5. Part 4 - The Dark Of Future's Past

One - Fudge's Folly

"So - I guess we should move on to Part 2 of tonight's festivities" Hermione said as Calista and Luna set the plates down on the table. She looked over at Draco "Do you want to start?"

"I wasn't really at the core of all this - not in the beginning at least" He said "So - Miss Granger - the floor is yours" 

"Swell" Hermione picked up a sandwich, then took a deep breath. 

"Okay" She paused "Well - after you disappeared, we searched the school three or four times over the next two days" She sighed "Then - when you didn't show up - Professor Umbridge reported it to The Ministry, who leaked it to The Prophet and before long the entire country knew you were gone" 

"Which would have been fine and dandy, because most of them thought you were a raving lunatic and the country was better off without you" Hannah started, then trailed off "Sorry - that sounded better in my head"

"Really?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Maybe I just thought it did" She admitted with a blush "But anyway - life was going on as it usually did, but then in June - around seven months after you vanished - The Prophet broke a story saying that far from being an attention seeking nut-job, you - Harry Potter - were our only hope against The Dark Lord"

"I am?" 

"He is?"

"Before you were born, Trelawney made a prophecy" Draco said "It basically said that you are the only one who can kill Voldemort - that he must die at your hand, or not at all" 

"The Prophet said they had heard a rumour of this, and demanded that Minister Fudge tell the public the truth - both about The Prophecy and about The Dark Lord's return" Hermione continued.

xoxox

(The Ministry of Magic, 25th of June, 1996)

"I warned you about this Cornelius" Dumbledore stared at Fudge "I told you he had returned, and that we needed to prepare" 

"HE IS NOT BACK" Fudge shouted "The very idea is preposterous and I will prove it by finding this so called prophecy and revealing it for the lie that it is"

"You cannot do that, Cornelius" Dumbledore continued, a note of urgency coming in to his voice "At the moment, Voldemort knows that this prophecy exists, but he is unaware of the contents" 

"So?" 

"So I am afraid that if he finds out - if he learns that The Prophet is right about Harry Potter - then there will be nothing - NOTHING - that will restrain him, and the consequences will be devastating" Dumbledore leaned forward "You must not reveal the contents of The Prophecy, Cornelius - not under any circumstances" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Let me guess - he didn't listen?" Harry asked.

xoxox

(The Ministry Of Magic, 29th of June, 1996)

Fudge stared out at the assembled reporters, then looked back at The Master of The Hall of Prophecies walked up to him, carrying a small, glowing ball.

"As you requested, Minister, I have brought The Prophecy Orb here" He said, holding out the orb.

"Thank you, Master" Fudge gave a nod, then took the orb and turned to the reporters.

"Thank you all for coming" He said with a bright smile "As you know - a few days ago The Daily Prophet reported a story saying that You Know Who had returned, and that Harry Potter - the so called Boy Who Lived - was the only person capable of defeating him" He paused for effect "I am here to put that rumour to rest - to tell you that You Know Who has not returned, and that we are all safe" He held up the glowing ball in his hand.

"If you would all like to prepare your quills, I will show you that this prophecy is nothing to be concerned about, and that The Boy Who Lived is merely a tool for those who would try to overthrow our country by stealth and by sedition" He looked around, then looked at the orb.

"Show me" He said. For a moment, nothing happened, then a ghostly white figure appeared above it.

"The one with the power to vanquish The Dark Lord approaches. Born as the seventh month dies to those who thrice defied him. The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power the Dark Lord knows not. One must die at the hands of the other, for neither shall live while the other survives" Fudge stared in disbelief at the figure, then he looked out at the reporters.

"Minister....." Rita Skeeter raised her hand "Harry Potter was born at the end of July, and his lightening bolt is world famous" 

"That is true....." Fudge started.

"So wouldn't it mean that he is the only one who can kill him?" Rita pressed.

"But he did!" Fudge said suddenly "On Halloween - fifteen years ago. The Boy Who Lived killed Lord Thingy....."

"Then why is the orb still alight?" Xenophillius asked from the right of the atrium "I thought that when prophecies were fulfilled, the orbs went out" He glanced past Fudge "Isn't that right, Master?"

"That is true" The Master nodded. 

"So" Xeno looked back at Fudge "Wouldn't that mean that this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled?" Fudge - a look of panic in his eyes - took several quick breaths.

"Even if that is the case, that doesn't mean......" He started, but Xenophillius continued.

"And if the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, wouldn't that mean that You Know Who is still alive?" He asked. 

"NO!" Fudge said loudly "HE IS NOT......" His pronouncement was interrupted as every floo in the entrance hall burst in to life at once, and a moment later, figures in black robes and white masks emerged from twelve of them, while from the thirteenth figure emerged that was more terrifying than the rest. 

"Minister Fudge" The twelve figures took up positions around the crowd of reporters, while the thirteenth strode forwards towards the podium "I understand you have been looking for me"

xoxox

Two - The New Minister 

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Voldemort came to The Ministry?" Harry exclaimed "Seriously?"

"Once he had heard the complete prophecy, he realised he had very little to fear from revealing himself" Hermione said.

"What happened?" Luna asked "Was it a massacre?" 

xoxox

(The Ministry of Magic, 29th of June, 1996)

"Lord....." Fudge took a deep breath "Lord Voldemort. Are you here to hand yourself over to the Aurors?" Voldemort stared up at him, and smiled.

"I am here to claim my birthright" He said calmly "Now that you've learned the truth, I think it would be best that you hand over the country to me" Fudge stared at him in confusion.

"Why would.... why would I want to do that?" 

"Because you have no choice" Voldemort continued in the same calm, reasonable tone "Now that you know I am immortal - that your only saviour is a boy you have hounded out of the country - you must know that any war you fight against me is doomed to failure" 

"I.... I am not afraid to die" Fudge said with only a slight stutter, provoking a laugh from the Death Eaters.

"Then you are braver than I believed" Voldemort said "But how many others would you condemn to death? How many would you see die in a war that can never be won?" He turned to face the reporters and all the others who had gathered "How many of you are willing to die in a pointless show of valour?" 

"And how many will die if we stand by and let you take power?" Xenophillius asked. Voldemort turned to face him. 

"I do not wish to see magical blood shed for no reason" He said in a quiet voice "All I want is to restore the magical world to what it should be, and to make our once proud country great again" He paused "Of course, there are those who will oppose my vision, and they will have to be dealt with, but if you turn over your country...." He turned back to face Fudge "Your Ministry to me, I will bring about the golden age" He paused "So, Cornelius, what is it to be?"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Fudge drew his wand and tried to kill Voldemort, but he was dead before he said his first word" Draco said sadly "In the ensuing battle, eight Aurors and five civilians were killed, a further fifty were injured"

"The majority of the reporters were left alone - partly because they ran for cover, but also because Voldemort had given instructions to let them live so that his offer could be reported" Padma added "Your father apparently returned home, then floo'd straight to Hogwarts"

xoxox

(Hogwarts Great Hall, 29th of June, 1996)

"HEADMASTER!" Xenophillius ran up the centre of The Hall, paying no attention to the scene he was causing. Skidding to a halt in front of the staff table, he bent over, trying to get his breath back.

"Mr Lovegood" Dumbledore stood up "While it is a pleasure to see you...."

"Voldemort is at The Ministry" Xeno cut across The Headmaster "He announced his intention to take Fudge's job and run the country" The entire Hall fell silent, and a look of concern came over Dumbledore's face.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. 

"Fudge tried to kill him, but the Death Eaters attacked and by the time it ended fourteen people were dead, including The Minister" Xeno paused "Voldemort let the rest of us go so that we could - as he put it - spread the good news" 

"Merlin's beard" McGonagall exclaimed. Dumbledore glanced along the table to where Snape was sat, but his potions professor merely shrugged.

"Minerva - I must go" Dumbledore said to his deputy, then looked at Luna's father "Xenophillius - did Voldemort say what his intentions were?"

"He said that he had no desire to spill any blood, but that if anyone opposed his vision for magical Britain to return to its former glory, they would pay the price" Xeno replied "He wasn't entirely clear on what the former glory might be though"

"Take a guess" McGonagall said darkly.

"Do you know if The Wizengamot has responded?" Dumbeldore asked, but Xeno shook his head. Dumbledore sighed "Very well - I must go" He turned to his deputy "Minerva - I will grant you full access to the wards, and should I not return in twenty four hours, I will instruct them to recognise you as Headmistress"

"Albus......" 

"I know what you are going to say, Minerva, but if we are to have any chance of rallying a force against Lord Voldemort, we must start with The Wizengamot and the rest of The Ministry" He stood up "Expect me when you see me" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"According to Lucius, Dumbledore was last seen entering The Wizengamot Chamber about ten minutes later. No one has seen him since" Draco said "And while his body was never found, no one believes he is still alive"

"Three days later, Voldemort was confirmed by a unanimous vote as Minister of Magic" Hermione said.

"Which was predictable, given that all the members of The Wizengamot who would have opposed him were absent" Parvati interjected.

"And the next day, Aurors came to the house of everyone who had been friends with either of you....."

"Must have been a very short list in my case" Luna smirked.

"....and we were questioned about what we knew" Hermione saw Harry frown, but shook her head "It was just a routine questioning - no torture, no threats"

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"It seemed that Voldemort wanted to give the impression he was a benevolent Minister" Padma supplied "And for the next six months or so, he continued to do just that. The country went on as if nothing had changed" She paused "More or less"

xoxox

Three - The True History Of Magic

(Hogwarts, 5th of September, 1996)

Hermione and Ron were sat in History Of Magic, staring at the front of the classroom. 

"Binns isn't usually late, is he?" Ron glanced at his girlfriend "And isn't there a secret rule that we can leave after five minutes?" Hermione smiled.

"No, and no" She shook her head. Ron pouted at her, then they turned as the door to the classroom opened again, and a familiar figure strode in.

"Good morning, class" Dolores Umbridge walked to the front of the room and turned to face the students. When no one responded, she smiled brighter "I said - Good Morning Class"

"Good morning, Professor Umbridge" Everyone responded, although Hermione and Ron exchanged worried glances.

"Following the election of our new Minister of Magic, it was decided that the educational standards at Hogwarts should be..... reviewed and evaluated" She continued with the same bright smile "As a result, a number of your teachers have been dismissed and replaced with - shall we say - more suitable choices" She looked around.

"Cuthbert Binns, while very knowledgeable about the atrocities and attacks perpetrated against us by the goblins, showed that his knowledge in more recent history, and the origins of the magical world, was somewhat lacking" She walked over to the board and raised her wand "Consequently, this year, we will be starting afresh, and learning more about our world" Waving her wand, a number of course headings appeared on the board - ones that made Hermione's eyes widen in surprise.

"As you can see, this year we will learn about how magic was corrupted by the influx of those who do not belong, and how that corruption has continued and grown, aided by former members of our own government who allowed our magic - our very life blood - to be stolen by inferior beings" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Inferior beings?" Luna asked "I'm guessing she meant you?" Hermione looked at her with an amused grin, while Draco and Harry gave snorts of laughter. Luna blushed "Not that I am calling you inferior, of course"

"Of course" Hermione said sardonically "And yes - she did mean me" 

"Over the next two months, we learned that all muggle born mages were actually created by the government of the day" Padma explained "That by using dark magic and arcane rituals - her words, obviously - magic was taken from an existing witch or wizard and implanted in the new born child" 

"Professor Umbridge then went on to outline how The Ministry was working on a way to prove all of this, but that the members of the government who knew the rituals had all gone on the run, and the information wasn't recorded in the archives because the guilty members didn't want anyone to know what was being done" 

"That's convenient" Luna rolled her eyes.

"Most of the other lessons stayed the same" Draco said "But - with only a handful of exceptions - it soon became apparent the teachers were starting to favour the pure-blood and half-blood students" 

"While Professor Snape had never liked me all that much, he had always been relatively fair" Hermione shook her head "Now he failed me in almost every class" She paused.

"Where as Crabbe, Goyle and I got perfect grades every time" Draco said sheepishly "Even if I did nothing - just sat and doodled on the parchments - I got O+ every single time"

"The only teachers that didn't were Flitwick and Sprout" Parvati said "The rest of the staff all fell in line with Umbridge and Voldemort"

"Even Hagrid? McGonagall?" Harry asked.

"Hagrid was fired before term started" Parvati replied "The last we heard, he had moved to France to work at Beauxbatons" 

"What about McGonagall?" Harry asked again, and Hermione's face darkened.

"She let it happen" Her voice was quiet, but it was full of anger "She stood by and let The Ministry teach HER students that muggle born were inferior - that we stole magic and made the pure-bloods weaker" She looked up at Harry "She stood by and let it happen, and said nothing" The room fell silent for a few minutes, then Draco cleared his throat.

"By the end of our sixth year, the disappearances had started" He said "The majority were muggle born mages and their families, and one or two half-bloods" 

"Disappearances?" Luna asked.

"Well - exodus might be slightly more accurate, at least at the start" Draco qualified "Like Hagrid, a few of them simply left for another country" He paused "Most went to France - Beauxbatons had a more or less open door policy for anyone who wanted to leave Britain and leave Hogwarts - but one or two went a bit further afield. Ernie and his family went to Australia"

"What about America?" Hermione looked at Harry curiously.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"I was there at Lucius' announcement" Harry reminded her "Even if I did watch it through the barrel of a gun. I was just curious if it was a new thing?"

"Protector Sarc has always had views similar to Voldemort" Hermione said with a frown "And America has always been far more conservative - ever since Salem, Seattle and Austin, they have been very wary of muggle-born mages. Ever since Voldemort came to power, they have been forming a more perfect union" 

"And the slave labour camps?" 

"The banking crises that caused chaos in the muggle world had a knock on effect in the magical one - America was hit pretty badly and the magical world almost fell into chaos as well" Padma looked around "Sorry - even after Hogwarts fell, I carried on studying" 

"Typical Ravenclaw" Draco smirked.

"I love you too, sweetie" Padma laughed "But as I was saying - First Minister Sarc managed to prevent civil war by declaring martial law. He dissolved the magical senate, had most of the congress executed and declared himself Lord President Protector of The USMA. Those who rebelled against the decree were either banished, exiled or killed" She shrugged "It did prevent civil war, but it turned the USMA in to a hell-hole" 

"A hell-hole with a labour shortage" Parvati added "Hence the trade agreement that Lucius announced" She paused "Anyway - as Drake said, the initial exodus started at the end of our sixth year, and continued through the summer. By the time our seventh year started, our year had had shrunk to half the size, with most of the lower years suffering the same. The first year was the smallest on record"

"I sent my parents away" Hermione admitted "I knew that - eventually - Voldemort would tire of the nice guy act, and launch the second part of his plan and I didn't want my parents around when he did" She paused "Besides - there were already some of us who had decided that we couldn't allow the situation to continue" 

xoxox

Four - A New Order

(The Room of Requirement, 31st of October, 1997)

Hermione looked out at the twelve students in front of her, then smiled.

"We all know what is happening to our country" She said after a moment "Our glorious Minister of Magic might say that everyone is equal and that he wants us all to live in peace, but it is obvious that the truth is every different" She started pacing back and forth.

"Hogwarts is teaching us that muggle-borns are inferior. That I am only here because eighteen years ago someone stole magic from a witch and implanted it in me. That I am not a real witch, but a bastard off-spring of a 'proper mage'" She stopped, spinning to face them "Well - I am not. I am Hermione Jane Granger, daughter of Jennifer and Sidney Granger, and I AM A WITCH!" A round of applause greeted her announcement, and she blushed slightly.

"But this is not just about me - it is about everyone here" She looked at the students again "Some of you are in the same boat - treated as inferior for nothing more than accident of birth. But some of you are amongst the elite - the favoured, the chosen" There were a few laughs from the group. 

"But this position will last only as long as you do not challenge the new status quo" She said, and the laughs faded "Make no mistake - if you stand up to Voldemort, if you oppose the will of The Ministry - if you dare to speak up for someone like me, you will find yourself in trouble faster than you can imagine" She looked at each of them in turn.

"If Harry were here - if he were still with us - he would give you the choice I am going to give you" She took a deep breath "If anyone wants to walk out of here now - before you hear anything that your parents, or your Minister, would want you to report, you can. All I ask is that you do not betray us - that you speak of this to no one" She turned and sat down on a chair that appeared out of nowhere.

"I will give you five minutes to decide" She said quietly. There was a moment of silence, then - in a single motion - every one of the twelve stood up.

"I know you think we are doing this out of some misguided loyalty to Harry" Padma said from the front row "And maybe that is why we came to listen"

"But you are right - none of us can stand by and let Voldemort turn this country in to his version of paradise" Parvati said "If he drives out all the muggle born, our world will collapse in on itself, and we'll all pay the price" 

"And what if we do give in?" Dean asked "If we let him drive out the muggle-borns, then who's next?" He gestured to the others in the room "What happens when he decides the half-bloods are also not real mages? That we have to go? And if the purebloods disagree with just one of his decrees, will they be forced out as well?"

"And what happens when he realises that driving us out isn't enough?" Lavender said "I've received a few owls from Beauxbatons, and there is already talk of raising an army to come back and retake the country" Hermione stared at her in surprise.

"Why haven't I heard about it?" She asked, making Lavender blush.

"You and Ron are still referred to as The Golden Trio" She said after a moment "That even though Harry has vanished, he still stands with you in everything you do" 

"And so you didn't want to tell either of us because we would be the most logical targets if Voldemort decides to go on the offensive" Hermione nodded "Fair enough - and you probably shouldn't tell me any more"

"My lips are sealed" Lavender smirked "But - in relation to the topic we can't discuss - how long do you think it will be before his spies get wind of it? And if he learns that what I can't talk about is going on, how long do you think he will be happy to let people just leave?" She looked at the rest of her compatriots "What do you think will happen to us if we rebel?"

"We know it will be dangerous" Hannah smiled at Hermione "But as someone once said that evil will triumph if good men do nothing, and that we all have to do what is right, rather than what is easy" She paused "I think I speak for everyone when I say that we stand with you - now and always" Hermione gazed at the group as they nodded, then smiled.

"Very well" She said "We'll have to keep these meetings short - McGonagall might have decided to abandon her duty to the students, but I doubt she has become senile. And even if she has lost it, I doubt that Umbridge and the other teachers will fail to notice us disappearing for hours at a time" 

"Indeed" Hermione span round, wand already out of her robes, only to find herself facing Professors Flitwick and Sprout.

"Good evening, Professors" She said politely "How may I be of assistance today?" Flitwick stared at her, letting a wry smile cross his lips.

"I think perhaps that we might be of more assistance to you, Miss Granger" He said amiably.

"After all - if the rest of our colleagues have decided to abrogate their duty, then it falls to us to make up for it" Sprout added in an equally friendly tone. Hermione stared at them for a moment, then slowly lowered her wand.

"Then welcome to The Resistance, Professors" She gestured for them to take the two new seats that appeared "We were just to discussing the best way to keep this from the staff" She paused, then smiled "Perhaps you have some ideas?"

xoxox

Four - The Founders' Heirs

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"The Resistance?" Luna asked "I thought you were called The Scar and The Moon?"

"Terrible name, by the way" Harry interjected, making Luna laugh. He looked up at Hermione "You're doing, I take it?"

"Surprisingly, no" She shook her head "We were The Resistance at the start, all through the war until Arcadia fell and I ran away" There was a chorus of protests, but she raised her hand "I know I left for a good reason, but I still ran" She looked around and was met with silent, defiant looks "This is the first time I have been here since I left"

"So who was it?" Luna asked curiously. Everyone turned and stared at Draco, who blushed.

"You?" Harry laughed "You named your group after me?" 

"Yes, yes" Draco said "I did it because I wanted Lucius to know what he was facing and what we could do" He paused "If I'd known you'd actually come back, I would have called it Scar-Heads United" Harry grinned.

"I love you too, sweetie" Draco rolled his eyes.

"Anyway - after Sprout and Flitwick got involved, things moved a little more quickly, and soon we had a plan" Hermione looked over at Luna "We approached your father, because we wanted to get at least a tiny part of the press on our side" 

"Did he agree?" Luna asked.

"Yes, but not in the way we thought he would"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 12th of November, 1997)

"I'm sorry, but I can't use The Quibbler to publish such stories" Xenophillius said, although Hermione noticed he had a slight gleam in his eye.

"Mr Lovegood....." She started.

"Please - call me Xeno" He interrupted.

"Xeno" She started again "I realise that losing Luna was a tragedy...." 

"This has nothing to do with my daughter" He responded at once, looking slightly affronted "And besides - she isn't lost, she is just.... taking the fast route" Hermione stared at him curiously, then shook her head.

"Either way - it would be....."

"Miss Granger" Xeno held his hand up and she fell silent a third time "Imagine you are The Minister of Magic" She stared at him with a nod "Now imagine a newspaper comes out condemning your actions as those of a genocidal maniac who is only pretending to be a decent human being" Hermione gave a snort of laughter.

"Now imagine the editor and publisher of that paper were well known to you" He said, slightly more seriously "How long would you let them live?"

"So you are choosing what is easy over what is right?" She asked in a slightly disappointed tone, making him smile.

"No" He paused then added "Well - yes and no"

"I'm confused" Hermione admitted.

"I can't use The Quibbler, because it is well established and the vast majority of the public know who runs it" He looked around, then leaned in and lowered his voice "However if another newspaper were to come out - one that was written in secret and published anonymously - then it wouldn't be traceable back to me" A look of awe came over Hermione's face.

"And if The Quibbler continued to toe the party line, then no one would ever suspect you" She said, and he nodded "Xeno - I am sorry......."

"Don't worry about it" He waved his hand dismissively "But if we are going to do this, I'll need more writers than just me" He smiled "Partly to ensure that it can't be traced back to any one person, but also to give the idea that it is a large group that opposes The Ministry, not just one lone nutcase"

"Not that you are a nutcase" She grinned, making him laugh.

"Miss Granger - I think that is the nicest thing anyone has said about me in a long time" He leaned back in his chair "So when would you like to begin?"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Our first edition came out on the 4th of December that year" Hermione said proudly "It contained a list of all the changes to the rules at Hogwarts, to the judicial laws and other Ministry decrees, and invited people to draw their own conclusions" 

"And Voldemort put in for a subscription right away?" Luna asked with a laugh.

"The next morning, McGonagall announced that The Founders' Heirs was banned from Hogwarts, and anyone found reading it would be expelled" Hermione replied "She also said anyone found to be contributing to it would face expulsion and arrest, on charges of sedition and treason"

"Buggering hell" Harry exclaimed "McGonagall said that?" 

"Flitwick told us that he had asked her about it, and she said that she had to balance the good of all the students over those who went seeking for trouble" Padma explained.

"The Greater Good" Luna and Harry said in unison.

"The Greater Good?" Hannah asked.

"Dumbledore's mantra" Harry said "The idea that if you are acting for the best outcome for the best number, it doesn't matter how much wrong you do in the process, because it will be sanctified by the outcome in the long run" He paused, realising Hermione was staring at him with a slightly odd expression "What?"

"Is there any chance you have been reading a lot over the last three months as well as tormenting Voldemort?" She asked "Because I have never heard a better summation of The Greater Good"

"I've had a lot of free time" He said with a grin "You should see how good my tatting skills have got" Hermione laughed.

"Anyway - we published an edition of the paper every month, and we even got a few contributions from those who had fled to France" She continued "From all reports, The DMLE tore up Diagon Alley and a few of the others in their search for suspects, but never got close to the truth"

"They also tried to have the French authorities detain and extradite the contributors but Mr Delacour....." She glanced at Harry "Fleur and Gabrielle's father, and the French First Minister"

"Thank you"

".... Mr Delacour said that freedom of speech was inviolate, and that Voldemort would have to show that the stories were not true before he could take any action" Hermione grinned "Needless to say, that never happened" She fell silent, staring at the table.

"Hermione?" Luna asked, but Draco replied.

"Give her a moment" He said softly "Even though it wasn't her fault, and she couldn't have prevented it, the end of our seventh year was still a very bad time and one with which she has never really come to terms" Hermione looked up at him, her eyes slightly damp.

"Do you blame me?" She asked "If I had just gone..... all those lives....." Draco stood up, went round and dropped to his knees next to her.

"If you'd gone with them, they would have tortured and killed you, and almost certainly come for the rest of us" He said, taking her hands "You did what you thought was right and none of us have ever held you to blame" She blinked a few times, then extracted one of her hands to wipe her eyes.

"That's sweet, Drake, but there are some things that you don't have the power to forgive or redeem" She grinned "You aren't all powerful, remember?"

"You mean my father lied to me?" He asked in a mock insulted tone. 

"Surprising, I know" She replied in a voice that suggested they'd been through this before. He gazed at her for a moment, then slowly knelt up and kissed her forehead.

"No one - living nor dead - blames you" He said, and a moment later she nodded.

"Do you get the feeling we are missing something?" Luna said in a stage whisper to Harry, making him grin.

"As long as we don't find out Hermione and Malfoy were bonking, I don't really care" He whispered back, then he realised everyone was staring at them, except for Hermione and Draco who were both studiously avoiding looking at each other. Harry stared at them for a moment, then his mouth fell open in surprise.

"Oh don't tell me...." He started, looking horrified. Draco and Hermione kept up the look for a moment longer, then both burst out laughing.

"You haven't grown any less credulous, I see" Draco remarked, still grinning. Harry stared back at him, then looked at Hermione.

"That was just mean" He said, pouting.

"I know" Hermione laughed again "But Drake's right - you always were too gullible, Harry" Harry continued to pout at her which only made her laugh all the more. After a minute or so, he smiled.

"So - if you aren't...."

"Crocheting" Luna supplied.

"....then what has been going on?" Harry asked. 

"About four months into our campaign, Draco sought me out" Hermione said "It was two days after we published a list of the various extra curricular activities of the members of the government that had gone unpunished" She glanced at Draco "Do you want to tell him what happened?" Draco shook his head. Hermione smiled, then looked back at Harry.

xoxox

Five - Malfoy No More

(The Ministerial Residence, 15th of March, 1998)

"And here we have another interesting article" Bellatrix Black - once a prisoner in the highest security wing at Azkaban, now Head of The Judicial Branch of The Wizengamot - held a copy of The Founders' Heirs in her hands. With a slight gleam in her eye, she continued "An article that reports on the doings of various members of our government" She looked around the group - formerly Death Eaters of the inner sanctum, now citizens who occupied other high level posts. 

"Not that anyone would believe this article of course" She smiled, and a wave of laughter ran across the room "The idea that our venerable Head of Sports and Games has been seen frequenting brothels in Rotic and Knockturn Alleys" She looked over at Crabbe Sr, who was smiling back. 

"Then we have the story that our D-DMLE has been seen gambling on illegal goblin cage matches" She stared at Nott, who also smiled back.

"And of course, we all know that our Head of IMC prefers the company of little boys to the company of his beautiful and lovely wife" She said, provoking another wave of laughter.

"Like that's a surprise" Narcissa said under her breath, then looked up as she realised the laughter had stopped and the others were now all looking at her.

"What did you say, Narcissa?" Goyle asked, staring at her intently. When she didn't answer, he walked up to her until they were face to face "I asked you a question, Narcissa - I would appreciate an answer" Narcissa looked over at her husband with a pleading expression. For a moment he gazed back, then slowly he turned and walked out of the room. 

A second later, the others followed him, until she was left alone with Goyle.

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"When he went home for Easter, Draco learned that his mother had been brutally tortured by a fellow Death Eater" Hermione glanced over at the silver-haired man "And that she accepted it as her punishment for showing disrespect to a fellow member of The Ministry" She smiled "When he came back, he sought me out, and asked if I had anything to do with The Founders' Heirs"

"She didn't trust me at first" Draco said, speaking for the first time "Partly because of who I was, but also because I refused to tell her why I wanted to join" 

"However he swore a fairly convincing loyalty oath - one that more or less meant he would die if he ever betrayed my secrets" Hermione smiled "It was quite a shock, but the moment he had finished the oath, I knew he meant it and that he was now beholden to me" She paused "So Draco became a part of The Founders' Heirs and The Resistance" She paused "Just in time to watch the entire thing go up in flames"

xoxox

(Headmistresses Office, 25th of June, 1998)

"Filius - thank you for coming" McGonagall looked up at her deputy "I have received a request from The DMLE. They are coming this evening to take Miss Granger in for questioning"

"Did they give any particular reason?" Flitwick asked "Because arresting a student is not their normal behaviour" 

"They are not arresting her" McGonagall pointed out "They merely wish to talk to her about some of her recent activities" She realised Flitwick was staring at her in surprise "Filius? Are you going to summon Miss Granger, or....."

"No" He said in a quiet, firm tone.

"No you are not going to summon her?" 

"No - I am not going to let you do this" He took a step forward and looked her straight in the eye "Whatever they call this, Minerva, it is an arrest. An arrest of Harry Potter's best friend"

"Harry Potter is dead" McGonagall retorted, but he ignored her.

"They clearly suspect her of being involved in The Founders' Heirs" He continued "If you let her go there, we will never see her again. They will make her disappear - to punish her for whatever they think she has done, and to make an example of her" He paused, then shook his head "Don't do this, Minerva - if you give her to The Ministry, you are sending her to her death" 

"If I don't send her to The Ministry, they will take her anyway" She said, slamming her fist down on the desk "They will come here and it won't just be Miss Granger that they come for" She stared down at him "I have to think of the good of all my students, Filius - I can't protect her at the expense of all the others" 

"Then you have to make a choice" He said "Between what is right, and what is easy" He turned on his heel and stalked out of the office, leaving McGonagall staring after him.

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015) 

"Filius came to find me right away, and warn me what was going to happen" Hermione said "He told me that he could smuggle me out of the castle, and get me to France. But I refused" She paused "I refused, and I damned us all"

xoxox

Six - The Fall Of Hogwarts

(Hogwarts Great Hall, 25th of June, 1998)

The school was just sitting down to the evening meal when the doors to The Great Hall were flung open - banging in to the walls with a loud crash. Every head turned to see Edward Nott striding up the aisle, followed by five Aurors.

"Headmistress" He called out, stopping half way up the aisle.

"Director" McGonagall stood up, nodding politely. 

"Under the Authority of The DMLE and Minister Voldemort, we are here to take Hermione Jane Granger in for questioning in connection with a banned publication" He turned to The Gryffindor table, and saw Hermione sat calmly, arms folded on her lap, staring back at him.

"Under the Hogwarts Charter, we can not take a student from the school without your permission unless we charge them first" He paused "I would prefer not to do that, but I will if it is necessary" He turned back to McGonagall "If that becomes necessary, it might also be necessary to look in to the activities of other students and even the teachers" He smiled "Will it be necessary?" Hermione turned, and looked up at McGonagall. The Headmistress closed her eyes for a moment, as if muttering a silent prayer, then looked Nott in the eye.

"No, Director, it will not" She said in a halting voice.

"Yes, it will" Hermione's head span as Flitwick jumped up from his seat and jumped on the table.

"Filius....." McGonagall started, but he jumped down from the table and stalked down The Hall to where Nott was standing. 

"If you want her, Edward, you will have to take her by force" He said in a quiet but firm tone "And - from what I remember of you and your..... companions when you were students - you will need more than the six of you" Nott stared down at him, then looked up at the staff table.

"Professor - I will have to report this to The Ministry. I am sure you are aware of how it will be received" 

"Minerva is no longer in charge of the school, Director" Sprout said, getting to her feet and drawing her wand "So run back to your Master and tell him that if he wants Hogwarts to bow and scrape, he will have to send someone a little more impressive to bargain with us" There was a burst of laughter from a few of the students, making Nott blush.

"Very well" He stared down at Flitwick "But remember - this was your choice, Professor - and you will be held accountable for what happens next"

"I am well aware of my responsibilities, Mr Nott" Flitwick said "Now can you remember the way out, or do you need help with that? as well?" There was more laughter, and Nott turned and swept out of The Hall, followed by the five Aurors.

When they had gone, Flitwick waved his hand, slamming the doors shut, then turned to face McGonagall.

"Get out" He said in a voice full of fury "Get out and don't come back" She stared back at him, then - in a single swift motion - drew her wand and threw a blasting curse at him.

But before it had got half way between them, two dozen shield spells sprung in to life, deflecting the curse up in to the roof. Flitwick glanced around to find nearly a hundred students on their feet, all with wands pointed at the former Headmistress. 

"Minvera" Sprout walked up beside her "I suggest you leave - before we make you" McGonagall stared at her, then back at the array of wands facing her. 

"On your own heads be it" She said, then she slowly walked around the staff table, down past Flitwick. She stopped at the doors, then turned on the spot and vanished.

"I thought...." Hermione started, then shrugged "Oh whatever" She looked at Flitwick "You don't have to do this sir - not for me"

"We are not doing it for you" Sprout said, then she turned to face the rest of the students "The Ministry will come back, and they will come back with an army. So now every one of you has a choice to make" She raised her wand, and a wall of silver light split the room in two "Anyone who wants to go, stand on the left" She pointed to the Gryffindor side "Anyone who wants to stay, to the right" She pointed at the Slytherin side.

"If you go, no one will think any less of you or hold it against you" Flitwick said, walking up to stand beside Sprout "We know that we are asking a lot - that it might involve standing up to your parents or relatives" 

"But if you stay, you not only have to be prepared to fight, and to die, but to kill as well" Sprout looked around The Hall "Because when they come, they will not hesitate" She paused "You have five minutes to make up your mind" As she finished speaking, Hermione, Ron and most of the Gryffindors stood up and waked to the other side of The Hall. At the same time, most of The Slytherins stood up and walked back. However Draco stayed sitting, until Hermione reached him, at which point he stood up and offered her his seat.

"DRACO!" Pansy exclaimed in surprise, but Draco merely sat down next to Hermione again.

Five minutes later, Flitwick raised his wand again.

"Everyone who is stood on the left, you may leave. But once you cross the wards, you will not be able to get back in" He waved his hand and the doors opened "Go now - and may The Founders go with you" The students walked out, some casting glances back to those staying behind. 

When the last one had left The Hall, the doors closed again, and Flitwick let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay - my guess is we have an hour before Voldemort comes" He said, glancing at Hermione "You can still run - still escape to France"

"I know" She nodded "But what kind of heroic guerilla leader would I be if I left my minions to die in my stead?" Flitwick laughed, but Draco stared at her with a confused expression.

"Are you saying we are all monkeys?"

xoxox

"Minister" Nott gave the castle a final look, then turned to Voldemort "We are ready. Shall I give the word?" Voldemort stared at the castle for a long moment, then turned to face his Director of Magical Law Enforcement.

"No" Nott blinked in surprise.

"My Lord?"

"An attack would cost lives on both sides, Director" Voldemort said "And while I have no doubt that we can crush them utterly, any show of resistance to my rule could be taken as a sign of weakness" He looked back at the castle "I believe there is a better way to proceed - one that will show the public the folly of standing against me, and will demonstrate it in such a way that no one will ever dare oppose me again" He turned to face Nott "Tell your Aurors to stand by - I do not think they will be needed, however there is always the chance that this group may put up more of a fight than I am prepared for" 

"Yes, My Lord" Nott bowed, then turned and walked away down the hill. Voldemort turned back to the castle, and a wicked smile crossed his lips.

xoxox

"Sir" Colin Creevy bolted in to The Hall and skidded to a halt in front of Flitwick "Sir - The Ministry is outside, but they aren't attacking"

"What are they waiting for?" Flitwick looked over at Sprout, but before she could say anything, Hermione walked up to them, terror etched on her features.

"I think I know" She said in a quavering voice.

"Hermione?" Flitwick looked at her with a worried frown "What's wrong?"

"The acromantula are coming, sir" She said "They are swarming out of the forest - they are coming here" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015) 

"They tore through the main doors as if they were not there" Hannah said, her eyes lost in the memory "The wards and shields we put up inside held them back a little, but not for long"

"As soon as he realised what was happening, Flitwick ordered us to The Room of Requirement, and he, Sprout and the three other teachers who hadn't fled created a series of magical barricades through the halls" Hermione paused "We could hear them dying, one by one, but none of us turned back"

"You know that was what they wanted" Draco said firmly "They were willing to die to ensure we lived to carry on the fight" She stuck her tongue out him, making him laugh.

"We reached The Room of Requirement, and shut ourselves in" Hermione continued "It seems that The Founders knew what they were doing when they made that room - it was utterly and completely impregnable" She shivered "We could hear the acromantula rampaging around outside, and the door occasionally shook when they tried to charge it, but it held firm and could not be breached" She closed her eyes again "Which - I think - is why Voldemort unleashed the next attack" 

xoxox

(Hogwarts, 26th of June, 1998)

"Minister - the school is ours" Nott bowed low before Voldemort as he made his report "My Aurors have recovered the bodies of five students and five staff, and the rest of the school is empty.

"There are still students in there" Voldemort said as Nott stood up.

"My Lord? The spells we used showed no one left alive" Nott said, confused.

"Did you explore the castle, Director?" Voldemort asked "Did you search every nook and cranny? Every room, every cupboard?"

"No, my Lord" Nott shook his head "The castle is still filled with those loathsome foul spiders - we could only get close enough to cast the most rudimentary of spells" 

"Which is why you failed to locate them" Voldemort said calmly "They are hiding in the room that my glorious ancestor and those that betrayed him created" He paused, then rose to his feet "And while they are there, they are unassailable - the magic of the castle itself protects them and while the castle survives the magic will survive"

"We can not go in to get them, my Lord" Nott said, a little hesitantly "Not before we clean out the acromantula infection" 

"I am aware of that, Nott - I will not ask my people to risk themselves on a pointless mission that can not succeed" Voldemort smiled.

"Then how....."

"I said the magic will protect them as long as the castle survives" Voldemort turned to stare at him "If we can not get to them, then we will make them come to us" He paused "We will destroy the castle"

xoxox

"So what do we do now?" Draco asked. They had been trapped in The Room for nearly half an hour, and every time the Hermione had made the doors transparent, they had seen more and more of the giant spiders roaming the area.

"I don't know" She admitted, looking at the fifty or so students that were with her "I had hoped we would have had Filius or Pomona with us, but....." She trailed off "But since that is apparently not going to happen, I guess we will have to make it on our own"

"The room - can it provide us with a way out?" Draco looked around "If it can produce anything, maybe it can take us past the spiders and out to somewhere safe?"

"Which would be nice, except for the fact the entire Ministry is waiting beyond the wards" Hermione pointed out.

"Bugger - I had forgotten" Draco sighed, then he looked up at Hermione "I could give myself up? Distract them and let you lot escape"

"No" Hermione shook her head "Firstly - your father knows you are here, and that you sided with us. I am pretty sure he will kill you on sight"

"But...."

"Secondly, if he doesn't, do you think I would send one of my friends to be tortured to death just so I can live?" She shook her head "We'll find another way" Draco stared at her balefully for a few moments, then nodded reluctantly.

"Very well" He said "So what do you suggest?" Hermione sighed.

"No clue" She looked around "I suppose we could just try to wait them out - maybe they'll get bored and piss off" Draco laughed, making Hermione smile "Yeah - that was a bit of a..... what the hell was that?" Everyone jumped to their feet as a huge explosion seemed to shake the room to its very foundations.

"Blasting spell?" Hannah suggested, but Padma shook her head.

"There are no spells that powerful - and the wards surrounding Hogwarts are some of the best in the world" She looked over at Hermione in terror "Whatever it is - it's something new"

"Wonderful" Hermione said under her breath, then she turned to the western wall "Room - can you show me?" At first, nothing happened, then slowly the wall became transparent, then it lit up with a series of images. Everyone stared at them with expressions of mounting horror.

"Oh god oh god oh god oh god" Hermione turned to stare at Susan, who was staring in disbelief at the sight unfolding in front of her.

"Sue? What's wrong?" She asked. Susan stared at the wall for a few moments longer, then looked at Hermione.

"That's fiendfyre" She said, terror filling her voice "Aunty told me about it once - it is magically enchanted fire, rumoured to come from Hell itself" She shivered "It follows the will of whoever casts it and will destroy anything it touches"

"Anything?" Hermione asked.

"Anything" Susan repeated "Including stone, wood and glass" She paused "The last time it was released was 1666 - it was an attempt to wipe out a coven of vampires in Pudding Lane"

"It caused THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON?" Hermione exclaimed in disbelief, turning to stare at the images on the wall.

"The mage who released it didn't realise it would burn through the wards he had set up" Padma said "Needless to say, that was the last time The DMLE tried to use it for anything. A year later The ICW outlawed it" 

"I would hope so" Hermione replied with a grin, then frowned "Wards? This stuff can eat through wards?" Susan nodded sadly "Well that's clearly not good"

"On the bright side - it's seems to have driven the spiders off" Parvati pointed at the other wall. The corridor outside The Room of Requirement was now completely empty of acromantula "So we could flee......"

"Right in to the path of the most dangerous magic in the known world" Her twin said with a slight smirk. Parvati turned and stuck her tongue out.

"I thought we might be able to track the fire and go the other way" She said, then she looked back at the wall showing the disaster unfolding "Then again - never mind"

"Okay" Hermione held up her hand "While it is fairly obvious why Parvati never got chosen for Ravenclaw, perhaps you could reschedule the game of Tease The Gryffindor for a time when we are not going to burn to death?" Parvati and Padma looked at each other.

"Same time tomorrow good for you?" Parvati asked, and - with a laugh - Padma nodded.

"Thank you" Hermione said rolling her eyes "So - anyone got any ideas that don't involve dying?" She looked around the group, but no one responded "So basically we're all going to die?"

"Looks like" Draco said "Sorry"

"Why are you sorry?" She looked at him curiously "If anyone should be apologising it's me" She looked at the rest of the students "I had the chance to run - Filius said he could get me to France before The DMLE came for me" She paused "But I didn't - I stayed because I wanted to make a stand. I wanted to to be a hero"

"You wanted to do what was right, not what was easy" Draco retorted "Running away would have been giving in - letting Voldemort and my father remake this world in their own twisted image" He stared at her intently "I, for one, am glad you didn't go - and if we are to die here, tonight, I can not think of anyone I would rather be with" Hermione stared at him eyes misting up slightly. 

"Here, here" Hermione looked up to see the rest of the students all drop to one knee. Ron smiled "Well - I couldn't let a Slytherin get all the credit for such a heroic sentiment, could I?" Hermione gave a choking laugh, then she stood up.

"Thank you - all of you" She smiled "And while I appreciate the sentiment, I am buggered if I am going to die here" She took a deep breath "The magic of the room protected us against the acromantula, so maybe it can help us escape" She paused, then grinned "There is every chance this isn't going to work, and even if it does work I have no clue what is going to happen. So if we all end up on the moon, I apologise in advance" The assembled students laughed "Okay - here goes nothing" She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes.

"Founders of Hogwarts - we stand in your room asking for protection. We are brave, and we are loyal, but we need your help. One has come to destroy your school, and all those who dwell within. We ask that you save us - save us so that we might defeat this monster and return this school to its rightful owners - the mages of Britain" She paused, then - when nothing happened - she sighed.

"Well..... it was a........"


	6. Part 5 - The Fall Of Arcadia

One - Arcadia

"....waste of time" She finished, then blinked in surprise. She looked around, then blinked again.

"You all see this, right?" She asked.

"You mean the fact the whole room has changed?" Ron looked around "Yeah - we see it" Hermione smiled, then looked around the room again. The silver walls of The Room of Requirement had been replaced with walls painted a muted white. Tapestries hung along the length of one wall, while another was taken up with a large window - covered with black shutters.

One corner was given over to what seemed to be a large potions laboratory, while the room was lit by gas lights, all made of burnished copper and silver.

"Room?" She said in a hesitant voice "Room?" Draco looked around, the walked over to the window, and started to open the shutters.

"ROOM?" Hermione yelled again.

"Er - Granger?" Draco said, and Hermione turned "I think there's something you're going to want to see" Hermione walked over to stand beside him, then looked out the window.

"Bugger me" She said.

"I would, but I think Weasley would take it a miss" Draco said without looking at her. Hermione turned to stare at him - a look of bemusement on her face. He turned to face her, and grinned "Sorry - thought a joke might ease the tension" She stared at him for a moment longer, then looked back out of the window.

"So - we've moved" She said.

"Seems so" He nodded.

"I don't suppose you recognise this?" She asked hopefully. 

"Nope" He shook his head.

"Okay" She turned round to face the rest of the students "It would seem we're not in Hogwarts any more" She said calmly "And that it's morning" She paused "That's about all I can tell you, because I have no clue where we are, nor how we got here"

"You are in Arcadia" A small voice said from the door. Drawing her wand, Hermione strode forward until she was stood in front of the rest of the group. While a small part of her noticed they had drawn their wands too, the rest of her focused on the door that was slowly being pushed open.

"Who are you?" She called out "We are all armed, and tired, and scared" She paused "And pissed off - so you don't want to mess with us"

"I do not desire to mess with you" The voice said, then the door opened fully and a House Elf walked in "My name is Topsy, and I have the honour of being Chief Elf of Arcadia" He gave a polite bow "I have been instructed to give you whatever you need - to show you where you can bathe, eat and sleep. Tomorrow, when you have recovered from your ordeal, I will explain more about Arcadia, and about what your choices are now that you are safe" 

"Safe....." Hermione started, but Topsy held up his hand.

"Rest first - you have had a long and trying day, Miss Granger, and you will think more clearly after you have slept and eaten" He paused "If you would like to follow me - I will show you to your rooms" He turned and walked back to the door. Hermione looked over at Draco.

"This isn't normal, right?"

"Nope" Draco shook his head "I have never seen a House Elf behave like this"

"Can we trust him?" She asked. Draco looked at her then shrugged.

"Do we have a choice?"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"At first I was a little confused - there were fifty one rooms, fifty with single beds and one with two - for the twins here. I had no clue how the elf, or Arcadia, knew we were coming, but apparently they had prepared for us" She smiled "Each room had a shower and a bath, and a set of new clothes for us to put on" She paused, then smirked "Some of us seemed less impressed with the new clothes than others" Parvati turned slightly pink.

"Anyway" Hermione continued "Around half an hour later, we were in in a large dining room, eating a late dinner. We saw a lot more elves, but every time we tried to ask a question, it got deflected or ignored" 

"You must have loved that" Harry said dryly, making her laugh.

"I think she was ready to start randomly hexing them by the time we went to bed" Draco said.

"I wasn't that bad!" Hermione insisted, stamping her foot, but Draco merely smirked. 

"Either way - we all slept soundly that night" Hannah said, smiling slightly at the expression on Hermione's face "Even though we didn't know how we knew, we knew that we were not going to be attacked or killed in our beds. That we were safe"

xoxox

Two - Revelations

(Arcadia, 27th of June, 1998)

"Miss Granger?" There was a polite knock on her door, and Hermione sat up in bed.

"Yes?" She called out "Come in" The door opened and Topsy entered.

"My Mistress would like to speak to you - to you, Master Malfoy, Miss Bones and Miss Abbott" He said with a polite nod "She awaits you in the private study - ask the portraits and they will direct you"

"Thank you" Hermione replied, then paused "What about Master Weasley? Or Miss Weasley for that matter?"

"I was not given instructions about them, Miss Granger" Topsy inclined his head "I can ask for clarification, if you wish?"

"No, Topsy - that is fine" She shook her head, then threw her legs out of bed "Can you inform the others, please?"

"Of course, Mistress Granger" The elf nodded politely, then turned and left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, then stood up and bounded over to the bathroom.

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Mistress?" Luna raised her eyebrows questioningly.

xoxox

(The Study, Arcadia, 27th of June, 1998)

"I think this is the room" Hermione said, glancing through the door. She turned to the three students following her "Ready?"

"No"  
"No"  
"No"

"Excellent" Hermione grinned, then pushed the door and walked inside.

"So..... what are we looking for?" Draco asked. Hermione glanced back at him, then past him. As he looked at her, her eyes went wide in surprise.

"I think we are looking for that" Hermione pointed over his shoulder. He turned, and his mouth fell open in surprise.

"Is that....." He started.

"Yes, Master Malfoy" The portrait of Salazar Slytherin gave a polite bow then turned to the woman stood next to him "For those of you who do not recognise me, my name is Salazar Slytherin, and this is my wife, Helga Hufflepuff" The announcement was greeted in stunned silence. Salazar looked at the astounded group, then turned to Helga "Alright - I owe you a galleon" She grinned, then turned back to the assembled group who were still staring at them in surprise.

"Lets try this again" Helga said with a friendly smile "This is Arcadia - the home that Salazar and I founded after we retired from public life. We lived out our lives, and - when we died - we commissioned this portrait so that we could watch over our little kingdom for the rest of eternity" 

"We knew that there were potentially dark times ahead of our world" Salazar continued "Already there were stories that I had had a falling out with the other three founders, and that Godric and I had fought in The Great Hall over the admission of The First Born" He sighed "We wanted to set it straight, but the Lord Protector - what you would call The Minister - had put a price on my head, and I could not leave Arcadia without being killed on sight"

"So we set about turning Arcadia in to a refuge for those who truly needed it. For when the darkest times came upon the world - for when magic itself was in danger of being destroyed" Helga slipped her hand in to her husband's "We would protect those who needed protection, for as long as they needed it" 

"Only three times since its foundation have we brought people here" Salazar said "You, Miss Granger, and your compatriots, are the fourth" Hermione opened her mouth, but stopped when he raised his hand "We can tell you our full history later, Miss Granger" Hermione blushed, making Helga smile.

"When you called upon The Founders last night, we heard your plea. Your plea not just to save yourself, but to save everyone who could attend Hogwarts in the future" Helga paused "You risked your life not just for your friends, but for all the future generations" She glanced at her husband "We felt that a sacrifice such as that should not go unrewarded" She paused "This conversation would go a lot better if it was less one sided" Hermione blinked once or twice, then blushed.

"Sorry, My Lady" She said "It's just...... this was not what I was expecting"

"What were you expecting?" Helga asked curiously. 

"I don't know" Hermione admitted "But not this" She paused "My Lord, My Lady...." 

"Miss Granger - while we appreciate the formality, there is something else you should know" Salazar said "I was the bastard son of a barrel maker and the town tramp, while my wife was a scullery maid in the house of a pure blood supremacist" He smiled "Godric and Rowena had similar humble upbringings. We were just four people who had an idea - an idea that worked" He paused "You can call us Salazar and Helga"

"If you will call me Hermione, and the rest of us by our first names" The others nodded.

"Very well - Hermione" Helga nodded "You were going to ask a question?"

"Oh - yes" Hermione blushed again "Where are we?" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Arcadia was situated in one of the remote Welsh valleys" Hermione said as she took another drink "The main structure was the castle - the building we were apparently in - but there were also rows and rows of houses and shops and other buildings" 

"A fully functioning village, protected by magic and staffed by Elves" Draco supplied, making Harry and Luna stared at Hermione in askance.

"During one of my conversations with Helga, I learned more about House-Elves and their lives" She said, blushing slightly.

"And I swear we only teased her about SPEW for like three, four months at most" Draco said with a grin. Luna laughed.

"That was very nice of you, Draco" She said. 

"I thought so" Draco grinned "But our beloved leader wasn't so appreciative" Hermione rolled her eyes. 

"Could we perhaps just refer to me as Hermione in the future?" She asked. Draco looked over at Hannah, Padma and Parvati.

"No" They all replied in unison. Hermione slumped back in her chair.

"Hate you all" She said with a grin.

"We love you too" Draco smiled.

xoxox

Three - Granger's Refuge

(Arcadia Castle, 31st of July, 1998)

"Helga? Salazar?" Hermione walked in to the study to find the portrait empty "Are you there?" The portrait flashed for a moment and when the light faded, the two founders were stood in front of her, looking slightly flushed and slightly dishevelled.

"Oh my god" Hermione span round, putting her back to the portrait "I'm sorry - I didn't think......"

"Do not worry, my child" Helga said quietly "I know it comes as a surprise to learn that we still....."

"Crochet" Salazar interjected.

".....but do not worry about interrupting us" Helga continued "We have the rest of eternity to.... crochet, and whatever you came for must be important - you would not be late to the birthday party otherwise" Hermione looked over her shoulder, then turned round again.

"I do apologise for interrupting, but yes - I have something to ask you, and it can't wait"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"You still celebrated my birthday?" Harry asked.

"Every year" Calista nodded "Even when we were living as muggles Mum had a party every year on the 31st" She paused "And the 29th of February, Miss Lovegood" Luna smiled.

xoxox

(Arcadia Castle, 31st of July, 1998)

"While I appreciate that you have kept us safe, and will keep us safe, we have friends and family in the outside world who are in danger" Hermione said "I know that you have made me The Current Mistress of Arcadia, but I did not want to start bringing people here without your permission" Helga and Salazar exchanged glances, then turned back to her.

"We gave you the mastery of Arcadia because we knew that you could be trusted not to abuse it, and to ensure that everyone here would be protected" Helga said "And we are not going to take it away from you just because you want to help others - to do that would go against everything we believe in"

"But?" Hermione asked.

"What makes you think there is a but?" Salazar asked.

"You have a....." Hermione started, then stopped, blushing wildly. 

"We have a what?" Helga asked curiously. 

"Nothing" Hermione shook her head, still blushing bright red. Helga looked at her curiously, then shrugged.

"However - the magic we wove in to Arcadia will not protect you once you leave" Helga's voice became serious "Arcadia was created as a refuge from war - a place where those who needed to could come to rest from war, rest from weariness - until they were ready to go out and fight again"

"It was not created as a place to fight a war from" Salazar added "Now - we are not going to forbid you from doing it. We trust that you know what you are doing, and that you will truly serve the greater good, rather than merely pay lip service to it" He said quietly "But know this - if you start on this course, to use Arcadia to continue the war, then we can not ensure that we can protect you" Hermione stared at them for a moment, then she sighed.

"Very well. Before I act, I will talk to the inner council, then let you know what our decision is" She gave a polite nod, then walked out of the office.

xoxox

(The Badger and The Raven, Arcadia, 1st of August, 1998)

"So - that is where we are" Hermione faced Draco, Hannah, Susan, Padma, Parvati, Ron and Ginny "If we take any action to continue the war, then we risk damaging, if not destroying, the protection that Arcadia grants us" She paused "However, if we stay here - safe in the kingdom - then we sacrifice everyone we love, everyone we hold dear" She looked at each of them in turn "While Draco and I appear to have been designated the leaders of this group, neither of us is going to force this choice on the rest of you"

"What choice?" Ginny asked "Because if you are suggesting that we sit here - cowering behind the wards - while everyone else is killed, then you are not the woman I thought you were" Hermione smiled.

"I didn't say that's what I wanted to do" She replied, still smiling "However, the eight of us were chosen to govern Arcadia, and - despite your attempts - I will not put myself above the rest of you" She looked around "We can do this in public, or in private....." She trailed off as Draco stood up.

"I would rather die on the battle field than hiding in a palace" He said "I vote we go" A moment later, Padma, Parvati and Hannah stood up as well.

"Ditto" Parvati said, and Padma and Hannah both nodded.

"As you go, so goes my nation" Ginny added, getting to her feet. Hermione smiled, looking at Susan and Ron.

"I am worried about Hannah" Susan said "I don't want people to die, but she...." She looked up at Hannah "She's my everything" Hannah smiled.

"I love you too, dear heart, but I can't put that above helping others" She paused, then whispered "It would kill me to lose you, but it would kill me to sit by and do nothing while I watch others die" Susan smiled back, then stood up. Hermione looked at Ron.

"So what's it to be, love?" She asked quietly. 

"Do you really need to ask?" He stood up "Even setting aside my family, there are people who need our help" Hermione looked at all of them, then nodded.

"Very well - I will inform Salazar and Helga of our choice, then I will tell the others" She paused "Once we do this, we'll need to rearrange the town a little" She glanced at Susan and Hannah "And some of you will have some secrets to tell" The two girls both blushed.

"Anyway - tomorrow we hold our first council of war" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"We used The Founders' Heirs to send coded messages to our families and friends, giving them places they could come to to escape Britain" Padma said "And yes - I know Wales in is Britain, but we tended to think of Arcadia as a realm apart"

"Over the next three years, we convinced around two hundred people to move" Parvati said "Amelia, Hannah's parents, Fred and George" 

"A few refused to come" Hannah sighed "Either because they didn't want to draw attention to us, or because they decided they wanted to remain neutral in the fight" She paused "And a few.... a few decided to stay. To help us with the fight as best they could" 

"My father" Luna said, and Hannah nodded.

"He continued to help us with The Heirs, and in helping others escape" She said "Never once did he ask to flee himself"

"I asked him about it once" Hermione looked over at her friend "He said that when his daughter returned, she would take up the battle and set the world to rights, but until then it was his duty to act as her regent" Luna smiled fondly, then wiped her eyes.

"That sounds like my father" She said.

"And so - for a little while - the world was happy" Hermione said "Despite the turmoil raging outside the boundaries, we managed to go about our normal lives within them" 

xoxox

(Arcadia Castle, 31st of October, 1998)

"Friends, family" Draco stood in front of The Grand Hall, hands folded behind his back "While I can't deny that the last few years have brought us more than our fair share of problems, there have also been some happy times" He smiled at the couple stood in front of him "And none more so than when we get to join to people in the bonds of true love and matrimony" He looked to his left "Hermione Jane Granger, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold? To love and to cherish? In sickness and in health? For richer or poorer? For as long as you both shall live?" Hermione looked across at Ron.

"I do" She smiled.

"Ronald Bilious Weasley, do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold? To love and to cherish? In sickness and in health? For richer or poorer? For as long as you both shall live?" 

"I do" He smiled back.

"If anyone amongst you knows any reason why this union should be forbidden, and is willing to risk the wrath of The Smartest Witch by announcing it, speak now or forever hold your peace" A ripple of laughter went through The Hall, but that was it.

"Marriage is a joyful event - one that reminds us that while the world outside might be stormy, it is always possible to find happiness, and that - in the end - happiness will be our birthright" He paused "And so, by the power granted to me by Helga and Salazar, the founders of our realm, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife" The hall burst in to applause, but Draco raise his hand for silence. When everyone was quiet again, he smiled "You may now kiss the bride" As Ron leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on his wife's lips, The Hall exploded in to applause again.

xoxox

(The Badger and The Raven, 28th of February, 1999)

"My friends" Hermione stood on the stage in the pub "While we are gathered here today to celebrate the birthday of Miss Luna Eloise Lovegood...."

"LUNA!" Everyone cheered and clinked their mugs together.

".....I can think of no better time for my husband and I to make an announcement" She looked down at Ron, who nodded "While we are going through trying times, I believe that any ray of hope is a cause for celebration, and any good news is news that should be shared as far and as wide as possible" 

"Here, here!" A few members of the crowd called out.

"And so with that in mind, I would like to announce that our realm of Arcadia will be increasing by at least one more soul this coming autumn" She smiled "Ronald and I are happy to announce that we are expecting a child - our daughter, Calista Belle Weasley" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"Belle?" Harry asked with a smile "Nice name"

"Thank you" Calista smiled back, making Hermione, Draco and Luna all grin.

"Not that Calista isn't nice as well" He added, making her laugh.

"I know" She grinned "My mother named me after her two favourite women in the world" Harry looked over at Hermione with a grin.

"The second child of Arthur And Guinevere" She explained "And the heroine of Beauty and The Beast" She blushed as Harry smiled.

"That's the Hermione I know and love" He said softly. She smiled back.

"Of course, if I had known when she was to be born, I might have named her Harriet" Harry stared at her in confusion.

"July isn't in Autumn" He said in confusion "I mean - it wasn't when I was in school"

"She means Halloween" Luna explained, then looked at Calista "You were born on Halloween?"

"Yup" Calista nodded "Which kind of put a dent in their plans to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the first fall"

xoxox

(Arcadia Castle, 31st of October, 1999)

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Hermione stood on a makeshift stage in the grounds of the castle. Initially, Ron had suggested holding the party in The Badger and The Raven, but after it became apparent that everyone in the realm wanted to attend the party, The Inner Council had decided to transfer it to The Castle.

"Welcome, and thank you for coming" She smiled "As we gather here today to...." She trailed off, wincing slightly "As we gather......" She trailed off again.

"Love?" Ron asked, walking up beside her "Are you....." She gave a scream of pain "....alright?"

"I think that Draco might have to deputise" She said, breathing heavily "Because I think your daughter wants to make an early appearance" Ron stared at her, then grinned. He span round.

"Ladies and Gentlemen - I give you Draco Black, your Master of Ceremonies" Draco stared at him, then bounded up to the stage.

"Why...." He asked, then he saw Hermione wince again "You know what? Never mind" He turned and raised his voice "Ladies and Gentlemen - I give you Padma Patil, your Mistress Of Ceremonies" He paused "That just doesn't sound right, but what can you do?" Without waiting for any response, he turned and slipped Hermione's right arm over his shoulder, then looked at Ron "Do you want to help me get her inside, or shall we let Calista Belle be born right here?"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"The birth itself was actually pretty fast" Draco said "If a bit..... squishy" Luna and Hermione laughed.

"I see you haven't changed" She said with a smile.

"What do you expect?" Draco asked "Even if I don't admit it, I was raised to be a man - to do male and manly things" He smiled "Birthing babies wasn't on that list"

"Awww - poor baby" Hermione grinned with mock sympathy, then turned back to Harry and Luna "Before the night was through, I had this little bundle of joy in my arms" She glanced at her daughter, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Over the next two years, things got worse, and more and more people were forced to flee - either to France, or to us" Hermione continued "The spells around Arcadia expanded, and we had room for them"

"And it wasn't like we were entirely idle" Draco added "The Founders' Heirs continued to show the truth about Voldemort's government - although, with the executions, imprisonments and deportations, the truth was becoming more and more obvious every day" 

"But eventually....." Hermione started, then shook her head. Draco walked round behind her chair and laid his hands on her shoulders.

"When Calista was round two and a half, we got some news from the world that changed everything" He said softly "It was a fairly normal day - Cally had only started two fires by accident, and they were both quite small" Calista stuck her tongue out at her.

"Anyway - Hermione and I were in conference with Salazar and Helga - discussions about expanding the outer wards - when Susan arrived, running and breathless" 

xoxox

Four - The Beginning.....

(The Study, Arcadia, 1st of July, 2002)

".....it will require every one to stay indoors over night" Helga said "And....." Whatever else she was going to say was forgotten as the door to The Study burst open, and Susan Bones-Abbott burst in.

"Hermione - Draco....." She started, then bent double, catching her breath "Excuse me for interrupting, but I thought I should bring this to you first" 

"Susan?" Draco stood up "What's wrong?"

"It's The Weasleys" She said "They've been detained"

xoxox

"Who?" Five minutes later, Hermione, Draco, Ron, Ginny, Hannah and Susan were gathered in Hermione's office. 

"Molly, Arthur, Percy and Charlie" Susan said sympathetically "They were arrested in Diagon Alley - accused of treason, sedition - the usual stuff" She paused "According to the report I have, they are going to be tried tomorrow" 

"Can we do anything?" Ron asked, looking over at Hermione and Draco "Get one of our contacts to rescue them?"

"I don't know" Draco said, seeing the expression on Hermione's face "I will get hold of them" He paused "If we do, this could risk the future of Arcadia - the future of all of us"

"Then we risk it" Hermione said quietly, then looked at him "As it has been pointed out - if we just let someone die because we are more worried about ourselves, what kind of future are we leaving for our children?" She stood up "Drake - find out whatever you can. Hannah - talk to some people who've come to us from The Ministry - see if they can help. Susan - talk to anyone who has combat experience and sound them out about staging a raid"

"Yes boss" All three stood up. 

"Ron, Ginny - go talk to Fred and George, and get in touch with William" She paused "They should at least know what is going on" 

"Yes love" Ron nodded, then he and Ginny left the office. When they were gone, Hermione looked at the others.

"I want to get this done" She said quietly "I don't want them to die" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"We got the attack ready to go - fifty former Aurors, Battle-Mages and Hit-Wizards all agreed to come with us, even though they knew it was almost certainly a suicide attack" Draco said "But as we were getting ready to set out, we got more news" He closed his eyes, staring down at Hermione with such sympathy, Luna's heart nearly broke.

"They had been executed an hour after they were detained" Hermione said, not looking up from her hands "They were dead before we even knew they were in danger" 

"Oh god" Harry stared at her sympathetically.

xoxox

(The Master Suite, Arcadia Castle, 2nd of July, 2002)

Hermione watched as Ron paced back and forth across their bedroom. After the news about his family had come, he had retreated to this room, leaving everyone alone. 

Draco had taken Cally for the night, and Hermione - after a few words of sympathy to the other Weasleys - had followed her husband.

"Honey....." She started, but he span round.

"Hermione - I want....." He said, then paused, biting his lip "There's something I want to suggest, and I want you to hear me out before you dismiss it" They stared at each other for a moment, then she nodded slowly.

"I am tired of this" He said softly "I am tired of waiting to see who is going to die next. Tired of wondering when the next blow will fall. Tired of sitting here doing nothing while that bastard rampages across our country" 

"I know it sucks, Ron, but what can we do? We're no where near enough strong enough to fight back, and even if we could wipe out the rest of his army, you know we can't touch Voldemort - not until Harry and Luna return" 

"I know that" He said quietly "Which is why I want us to take The Oath" Hermione stared at him in silence for a few minutes. 

"You want us....." She started, but he swiftly walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"Hear me out" He said quietly, and - after a moment - she nodded "If we take The Oath - both of us - then we can raise our daughter in peace and quiet. We can ensure she grows up safe" 

"You just want us to abandon the war?" She asked.

"War?" He snorted dismissively "What war? Don't wars involve fighting on both sides?" She stared at him thoughtfully.

"We are doing what we can" She said "And I thought you understood that"

"I did" He stared at the embers in the dying fire "And then my parents were killed because of what we are doing" 

"We've all...."

"Have we?" He asked, anger tingeing his voice "You sent your parents away - you ensured they were safe before you started all this" He turned to face her "But Fred, George, Ginny and I are now orphans, and there are good odds that over the next few months, even more will become orphans as well" He paused "What about Calista? Do you want her to live in this life until she becomes an orphan?" 

"Low blow" She said quietly.

"We do what we can" He replied quietly. She turned to stare at the fireplace.

"How long to I have to decide?" She asked.

"As long as you need" He said, smiling slightly "But I'd advise against discussing it with the others - they might not see it the way we do" She nodded, giving him a faint smile "So - are you ready for bed?"

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015) 

"I had no intention of doing what he asked" Hermione said flatly "But I knew if I told him that right then - while he was still dealing with the death of his family - he wouldn't listen" She sighed "I thought if I gave it a few weeks, his grief and anger might burn itself out, and he would realise just why we couldn't give in" 

"Of course - there was something we hadn't reckoned with - something that we only learned when it was too late" Draco said, his hands still resting on her shoulders "And that was that Ronald had inherited a lot more from his mother than just his red hair" 

xoxox

(The Ministry of Magic, 10th of July 2002)

"Minister Voldemort" Bellatrix and Edward walked in to Voldemort's office "We have a visitor that I believe it would be in your best interest to meet" Voldemort looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Then show them in" He said with a smile. Edward Nott turned, then opened the door again. Voldemort watched as the figure walked in, then slowly rose to his feet.

"Why - Master Weasley, this is an unexpected honour" Voldemort gestured to the seat "I understand that you are here as a visitor, and that you come with a proposition" 

"Yes, Minister" Ron said steadily as they both sat down "I know that you have been trying to find out where The Resistance has been hiding, and where the people who have escaped arrest have gone to - at least those that have not gone to France" 

"This is true, Master Weasley" Voldemort nodded "Are you willing to give me this information?"

"Yes, Minister, but I have a price for that information" Ron stared at him levelly "I want a chance to get my family out - to bring them to safety" 

"And who would that entail, Master Weasley?" Bellatrix asked.

"My wife and daughter" Ron replied "They are the only two I care about" 

"Their names" Edward said forcefully. 

"Hermione Weasley and Calista Belle Weasley" 

"And this would be Hermione Jane Weasley, nee Granger?" Edward asked.

"Yes, Mr Nott" Ron nodded, then looked up at Voldemort "If you let us leave, we will both take The Oath, and I will take it for my child"

"Why would you do this? Wherever you are hiding, you are clearly very well protected. The DMLE has been searching ever since you vanished from the wreck of Hogwarts and this is the first time we have seen any of those that survived" Voldemort leaned forward "Why would you want to leave such a haven?"

"Because I want my daughter to grow up in peace and safety, Minister" Ron said "If Hermione and I remain at war with you, we will eventually have to fight" He paused "I do not want my daughter to become an orphan"

"A worthy sentiment, Master Weasley" Voldemort smiled "Very well - I agree to you proposition. If you will lead us to this safe haven of yours, I will spare the lives of your wife and daughter, providing that they take The Oath. Are we agreed?" 

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded.

"Excellent" Voldemort stood up "If you would like to go with Miss Black and Mr Nott....."

"No" Ron said, bringing Voldemort up short.

"Pardon me?" He turned to stare at Ron, a slightly amused expression on his face.

"I need time to convince my family, and to get you a proper report on the wards and defences that we have" Ron said "If you let me return there, I will send you a message in three weeks that will contain all the information you need"

"How do I know that this is not a trick?" Voldemort asked.

"What would I gain?" Ron replied "We have enough people who know the layout of The Ministry, and we have enough defectors who can tell us the name of everyone who betrayed us" He paused "What we do not have - what we will never have - is the force or the will to take you on in a fight" He smiled "So what do you have to fear?" Voldemort smiled.

"I take your point, Master Weasley" He said after a moment "However I will require a token of good faith, if you will" Turning back to his desk, Voldemort picked up a piece of paper and turned back. Ron took it, then looked up.

"You want me to take The Oath? Right now?" 

"Yes, Master Weasley" Voldemort smiled "This way - when you do give us the information we need to attack, you will not be in a position to betray us and lead us to our deaths" Ron looked down at the paper again, then nodded "Excellent. Miss Black, Mr Nott - will you stand as witnesses?"

"Yes, My Lord" They replied in unison. 

"Then let us begin" He turned back to Ron "In your own time, Master Weasley"

xoxox

Five - .....Of The End

(Arcadia Castle, 15th of July, 2002)

"I'm not going to take The Oath, Ron" Hermione said, facing her husband "I understand the reasons for you wanting to - and the idea of raising our child in safety and security is a very compelling one" 

"But not compelling enough?" He asked. She shook her head "Why?"

"Because of Filius. Of Pomona. Of Sybil, Artemis and Rolanda" She paused "They died so that we could escape, so that we could fight until the country was free again" She sighed "For Xeno, Harry, Luna, Molly, Arthur, Charlie - everyone who has died in this war" Ron stared at her.

"You are going to honour their sacrifice by risking your life? By risking the life of your daughter?" He asked "How is dying in a futile war we cannot win honouring their memory and their sacrifice?" She smiled.

"Because if I take The Oath then I am giving in - I am saying that he has won and that my safety is more important to me than my beliefs" She gazed up at him "Can you understand that?" He stared at her, then nodded.

"Yes - I can" He smiled "I'm sorry" She leaned up and kissed him.

"Don't worry about it, love - I know why you asked, and it's very sweet" 

xoxox

The next morning, Ron walked down the main street in Arcadia, nodding to people as they passed by.

As he reached the main square, he turned aside and walked over to the bookshop, glanced around then walked inside.

"Hello?" He called out, looking around. 

"Ron?" A voice came from amongst the stacks, then he turned as Cho walked out of the shadows "Been a while - how's Hermione? How's Cally?" Ron smiled.

"They are both fine" He paused "Do you have a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss with you" Cho looked at him, then nodded.

"Just let me close up - go through to the back, make yourself a drink"

"Thanks" He smiled.

xoxox

(The Ministry, 24th of July, 2002)

"So you are the message Mr Weasley sent?" Bellatrix looked down at the young woman sat in front of her "Did he send you with what we need, Miss Chang?" Cho looked up.

"Yes, Miss Black" She nodded, and pulled a file out of her jacket "This will give you all the information you need to take A....." She paused "Sorry - it seems that I am still forbidden to speak of it" She held the file out "This will give you what you need to take our town - the layout, the ward incantations and the disposition of our forces" She paused "Ron asked me to remind you of the arrangement he made" 

"My Lord does not forget his bargains, Miss Chang" Bella's voice turned cold "We will allow safe passage for his wife and daughter, as well as for you and him" She smiled "Unless there is someone you would like to bargain for as well?" 

"No" Cho shook her head "Perhaps once.... but not now" Bella gazed at her thoughtfully. 

"Why are you involved in this, Miss Chang?" She asked, sitting down behind her desk "I mean - I understand Mister Weasley's motivation - he wants to save his family" She smiled "But if you have no family, no one to love - why?" Cho sighed, then leaned back in her chair.

"I loved someone once" She said quietly "But he died, and with him died any future I might have had" She stared across at Bellatrix "I have no desire to help the man - the monster - who killed my soul-mate, but neither do I want to die in a pointless war against him" She paused "Have you any more questions for me, Miss Black, or can I return to my home?"

xoxox

(The Book Shop, Arcadia, 26th of July, 2002)

"I have the book that you request, Ron" Cho said quietly "I had to order it from the outside, and so it can't be delivered, but it will be ready for collection in five days time" 

"Just in time for the celebrations" Ron said with a smile "Thank you - I am sure my wife will be suitably pleased" Cho tilted her head to one side.

"We shall see" 

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked. 

"Ron left me a letter, confessing what he had done" Hermione said angrily "I found it in my things after we had left" She looked across at Calista "He thought we should know of his heroic actions to ensure our safety"

"That was nice of him" Luna remarked, making Calista laugh. Luna blushed "Sorry"

"Oh don't worry about it" Calista said "I'm with Uncle Draco on the subject of fathers" She paused, then frowned "After what I saw him do - I can only hope he burns in hell" Everyone stared at her in surprise, and she blushed "I meant Ron, not Uncle Drake"

"I would hope so" Draco said with a grin "I mean - I know I have missed your last twelve birthday, but condemning me to hell does seem a tad excessive" Calista laughed.

"Twelve years worth of presents..... I wonder what that is worth" She said with a grin. Draco smiled.

"I think we can discuss that in the morning, sweetheart" He said "Because we are coming to the end of our story, and I would rather not draw it out - especially for your mother's sake" Calista glanced at Hermione, then nodded.

"Tomorrow it is" 

xoxox

Six - Night Falls

(Arcadia Castle, 31st of July, 2002)

_"We were preparing for the celebration of your 22nd Birthday" Draco said "The entire village was decorated in preparation, and we were just about to kick off the party in the main square"_

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Hermione, Calista stood in front of her, beamed at the crowd "As we have done for each year since we fled Hogwarts, we come together today to celebrate the birthday of our friend. The Boy Who Lived - Harry James Potter - may not be with us at the moment, but we still remember him and keep him......" There was a flash of light above her, and she stared up in amusement.

"Has someone decided to start the celebrations early" She looked back at the crowd with a grin, then suddenly there were another five flashes, followed by a huge, rolling boom of thunder.

"Mummy? What's going on?" Calista asked in a small voice.

"I don't know, sweetie" Hermione said, pulling her in to a hug "But I think the party is going to have to wait" She raised her wand and put it to her throat "EVERYONE - TO ARMS! PREPARE FOR AN ATTACK. CHILDREN TO THE BUNKERS. AURORS, BATTLE-MAGES, HIT-WIZARDS - TO THE WARDS" She looked over to see where Ron was coming towards her "Ron - I'm taking Calista back to the castle - where we'll be safe"

"Yes love" Ron nodded "I will check the defences, then join you"

_"I remember Mum dragging me back to the castle, and in to Salazar and Helga's study" Calista said "But even then - by the time we had reached the outer walls of the castle - it was obvious something had gone badly wrong"_

"Salazar? Helga? Are you there?" Hermione yelled as she bustled her daughter in to the study "ARE YOU THERE?" 

"We're here!" The two Founders appeared in the portrait, just as the entire castle shook "What was that?"

"We're under attack" Hermione said quickly "I don't know how, but Voldemort is coming here and hell is coming with him" The two images in the portrait closed their eyes for a moment.

"The outer wards are falling" Salazar said, his eyes flashing open "But it is happening far too quickly. Even with my blood running through his veins, he should not be able to do this" He looked over at his wife "My love....."

"I feel it too" She said, then looked down at Hermione and Calista "We have been betrayed" She said sadly "Someone has given the incantations and the ward structures to Voldemort" Hermione closed her eyes. 

"How long?" She asked. 

"We can hold for maybe an hour - two at most" Salazar said "However there will be gaps and tears before then - I can already see a small gap near the fountain, where a few people are coming in"

"So we are lost?" She stared at her daughter "Is there any hope?" 

"I'm sorry" Helga said. Hermione stared at her daughter for a moment longer, then she stood up.

"You told me I was Mistress of Arcadia?" She said "That I have full power over everything and can command it as I wish?"

"Yes" Helga nodded. Hermione took a deep breath, then let it out.

"Strengthen the wards. Kill anyone from the outside who gets in. Use whatever magic is required to protect my people" She said "And sound the retreat - everyone is to leave. I won't have people dying in vain - not in my name, not for this"

"Is fighting for our lives and our freedom dying in vain?" Draco asked from the door. Hermione looked over at him.

"We've been betrayed, Drake - someone has sold us out. The wards will not last the night and everyone will die if they don't get out" Hermione stroked her daughter's hair "They have to flee - they have to go, or they will die"

"Are you going?" He asked.

"When I can find Ron, we will leave" She looked at Draco "Come with us - I know you want to fight, but we can't. Not here, not now" Draco stared at her, then nodded.

"I will see to the evacuation of the rest, then come back for you" He said "But if you are in danger - if they get through us and find you - you have to promise me you will go at once. Don't wait for me - just go" Hermione smiled.

"Cross my heart" She said "Now - go. Help our people"

"Yes, my Lady" He bowed low, then turned and ran from the room. Hermione turned to her daughter.

"Go to your room and get a bag. Pack whatever you want to take with you - clothes, books, Galadriel" Calista smiled "When we leave, we aren't coming back, and we have to leave quickly" 

"Yes Mummy" Her daughter nodded, then she turned and skipped out of the room. Hermione watched her go, then walked out of the study and across in to the room she and Ron shared.

xoxox

Lucius laughed as he strolled down the main street, setting fire to buildings as he went. 

While it was true the wards were taking longer to destroy than the information provided had lead them to believe, he knew it was only a matter of time until The DMLE succeeded, and the rest of The Ministry would come swarming in.

In the meantime, he, Bellatrix and the rest of the group that had once been The Inner Circle were charged with causing as much chaos as they could - to spread fear and terror amongst the inhabitants of Arcadia.

He turned a corner, then pressed himself against the wall. Just ahead, a fire was burning out of control, and three witches were helping a number of children escape the blaze.

Creeping along the length of the wall, he slowly raised his wand.

xoxox

"How we doing?" Susan asked as she and Hannah levitated the children out of the windows one by one, while Amelia Bones did her best to hold the flames at bay.

"Three more I think" Hannah replied, slowly lowering a child to the ground "Once we get them all out, we can take them to the evacuation point, and make sure they are safe" 

"Okay" Susan nodded, then - out of the corner of her eye - she saw a flash of movement. 

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Hannah saw the killing curse flying at her, then felt herself being knocked to the ground as Susuan jumped on her. 

"DEPUSLO! REDUCTO! CRUCIO!" Amelia threw a series of curses at Lucius, making the Death Eater duck out of the way and flee. She turned, and saw Hannah staring at her niece.

"She's dead" Hannah said quietly "He killed her" Amelia closed her eyes, then shook her head.

"We have to get them to safety" She said to the young witch "We have to save them, or she will have died for nothing" Hannah looked up at her, then nodded.

"Okay" She said "But trust me - I will make him pay" 

"As will I" Amelia nodded.

xoxox

_"We got most of the children to safety" Draco said "Evacuated to Beauxbatons, where - as far as I know - they grew up in safety and security" He paused "But the wards collapsed faster than Helga and Salazar had anticipated, and the army came flooding through like a tidal wave"_

"Hermione!" Ron burst in to the bedroom "Hermione - we have to leave" He stopped as he found her sat on the bed "Where's Cally?" 

"She's just packing up some stuff" Hermione said, getting to her feet "Draco is coming for us soon - he will take us to the evacuation point......"

"No" Ron shook his head "We have to go to The Fountains. We'll be safe once we get there" Hermione stared at him in confusion.

"The Fountains are already overrun" She said "Most of the buildings are in flames. Why would we be safe there?"

"Because I arranged it" He said, glancing back to the door "Come on - we have to go" 

"You arranged it?" She asked, slowly getting to her feet "Arranged it with whom?" Ron looked at her, then glanced back at the door.

"I made sure that we could leave - that we could live our lives in peace" He said "Arcadia is gone - there is nothing keeping you here any more" He turned back to find her wand pointed between his eyes.

"You did this" She said quietly "You brought them here?"

"It was the only way to ensure we could be safe" Ron said "To ensure that you and I and Calista have a future"

"Voldemort would never let us leave" She said in the same quiet tone "Not after he destroyed a school and a kingdom to find me" She paused "Oh Ron - tell me you didn't" 

"It was the only way" He said. She stared blankly at him for a moment, then lowered her wand. He smiled.

"Come along - we....." She drew her fist back, and punched him in the face as hard as she could.

"Ow!" She shook her hand up and down, then, without glancing at the prone form of her husband, she strode out of the room.

xoxox

"Hermione...." Draco walked up the corridor to find Hermione and her daughter walking back towards him.

"We have to go - sound the evacuation. Everyone has to leave now - no fighting, no useless heroics" She paused "And we have to scatter" 

"Hermione......"

"We have to go and never come back" She said "Sound the evacuation, then we leave" 

xoxox

Voldemort walked up to the castle, then turned and smiled. Before him, the entire realm of Arcadia was burning. Hundreds had been killed, and hundreds more would be returned as prisoners to his cells.

"My Lord, we found this inside" Bella gestured as two Aurors dragged the unconscious Ron out and threw him to the floor in front of Voldemort "There was no sign of his wife or daughter"

"Wake him" Voldemort said.

"CRUCIO!" Bella said, and a blast of the torture curse slammed in to Ron, making him jump to his feet.

"Where are you family, Ronald?" Voldemort asked.

"They left" Ron replied "She punched knocked me out and took my daughter" 

"That is too bad" Voldemort said sympathetically "However - as you have taken The Oath to follow my will, I will not punish you for your failure" He paused "I might even reward you"

"Reward me?" Ron frowned "Reward me how?"

"When this is all over with, I am going to form a new division - The Internal Security Department" Voldemort said "Its sole purpose will be to hunt down those who escaped here, and anyone that supported them" He stared at Ron "I think that you and Miss Chang would be the perfect people to run this, given that you are so intimately involved with the various people involved" Ron stared back at him, then smiled.

"I accept, my Lord"

xoxox

From the top of the hill, Hermione, Draco and Calista watched as Arcadia continued to burn. 

"I did this" Hermione said quietly, staring as the flames ripped through their home "This is all my fault" 

"No" Draco turned to face her, then - when she ignored him - grabbed her and span her round to face him "This was not you, Hermione. This was Voldemort"

"No it wasn't" Hermione shook her head "It was Ron" Draco stared at her in mounting horror. 

"Ron betrayed us?" He asked, still looking horrified.

"He said that as long as I had Arcadia, I would never agree to leave - never agree to take The Oath" She said in the same, dull voice "He said that now Arcadia was gone, we could finally live our own lives - live in safety and peace" 

"That doesn't make this your fault!" Draco insisted "Did you want this? Did you want Arcadia burning?"

"NO!" She yelled, then collapsed in to his arms "Of course I didn't want this" She closed her eyes as he stroked her hair "But he did this for me - for us" 

"He did this for himself" Draco said softly "If he had truly done what you wanted, he would have stood beside you and fought beside you when they came" He kissed her cheek "He is to blame. Not you" She straightened up and gave him a weak smile.

"Drake - I have to go" She said, taking a step back "Cally and I have to leave - we can't be a part of this any more" 

"No....." He started, but she held her hand up.

"Ron betrayed all of you to save me and to save Cally" She said "He sold all of you to Voldemort to save me and my daughter" She sighed "We have become a liability, Drake - if we stay with you, you will be protecting us more than fighting the good fight" She saw a look of acceptance cross his face "You know I am right, don't you?"

"Yes" He nodded sadly "I mean - I know we can protect you, and that we will be sad to lose you, but I understand" He paused "Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't know" Hermione replied "Maybe - when all this is over - I'll find you again" She paused "You are in charge now, Draco - Leader of The Resistance"

"I will take charge, but as far as I am concerned, you are now, and always will be, our Leader" He paused "Take care of yourself, Miss Granger - I would take it amiss if we don't keep that date in the future" 

"Take care of yourself, Mister Black" She smiled "The future is in your hands" She paused, then leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, then turned and pulled her daughter up in to her arms. 

With a final glance at Draco, she turned on the spot and she and Calista vanished.

xoxox

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

"That was the last time I saw her until tonight" Draco said "And may I say I am glad to see her alive" Hermione smiled back at him, then yawned.

"I'm sorry...." She trailed off, then glanced at her watch "But it's nearly dawn, and I haven't slept since yesterday morning" Draco smiled.

"I think we all could use some sleep" He said "There are rooms upstairs - feel free to claim them as you need" He paused "The wards will last for another forty eight hours, so I think we can all sleep safely for now" He yawned as well "We can sort out the future tomorrow - if we have lunch together, we can decide what to do then" Everyone nodded "Then - good night, and sleep well"


	7. Part 6 - A Lesson From History

One - 314

The next morning Calista rolled over in bed, and stared up at the ceiling.

The Boy Who Lived! While her mother hadn't told her the stories, they had been pretty easy to find from other sources. How she, her father and Harry Potter had fought a Troll (although, from most of the stories, it seemed more apparent that Harry was the one doing the fighting, and her father was there for........ well - that wasn't entirely clear either), how they had defeated Voldemort when he tried to take the Philospher's Stone.

When she had asked her mother, Hermione had made him out to be a true hero, and - Calista had to admit - had built a fairly glowing image of Harry in her daughter's mind. 

And from what she had seen last night, that image was not exaggerated. The Boy Who Lived was modest, self-effacing and quiet, but was also heroic and willing to stand up for people who needed it.

They had assassinated the Prime Minister, saved a dozen muggle children and three members of the group set up in their name. And that was all within three months.

She slowly climbed out of bed, and looked around the room. Along with confirming some of the stories of Harry's Heroics (as her mother had dubbed them), her mother had also told her about the few trips to Hogsmeade they had made. Calista had fallen asleep many a night dreaming of what it would be like to visit the magical village - get a butter-beer in The Three Broom Sticks, stroll down the main street looking in the windows of the shops her mother had held so dear - but now....

She stared out of the window, at the charred streets, at the piles of rubble and the burned out buildings. Hogsmeade - the village her mother had loved in her youth - had borne the brunt of Voldemort's wrath after the attack on Hogwarts had failed. A village that had existed for nigh on as long as the school had been destroyed in less time than it took to tell of it.

Blinking tears out of her eyes, she turned back to the bed, and started pulling her night clothes off, then getting dressed. She had looked around, but apparently the magic Draco had used to get some of the rooms back in to shape hadn't extended to fixing the plumbing or the showers.

Walking over to the sink, she used a quick blast of her wand to fill it with water, then washed her face the best she could.

Emptying it, she dried her face then - slipping her wand in to her jeans - she pushed the door to her room open, and walked out in to the corridor. She looked around, trying to remember the room her mother had gone to earlier that morning when they had all come up to bed. 

"335" She said to herself, then walked over to it and knocked. After a moment, she slowly turned the handle and pushed it open. Glancing inside, she saw the bed hadn't been slept in.

With a slight frown, she slowly closed the door and turned to find herself face to face with Harry.

"Calista?" He looked at her questioningly "What's wrong?" 

"Mum's not in her room" She replied, looking up and down The Hall again "Do you think she's okay? I mean - she's safe?" He gave her an encouraging smile.

"I might not have been friends with him back when I was at school, but he does seem to know what he is doing" He looked around "If someone had come here in the middle of the night, the wards would have alerted us" He paused "Don't tell him I said that, okay?"

"Your secret is safe with me" She grinned at him, then looked around again "So.... where is she?" Harry looked at her.

"You're really that worried?"

"We haven't spent a night apart since we fled from Arcadia" Calista said quietly "And she always lets me know where she is and how long she will be" She smiled "After Ron's treason and betrayal, she worries a lot more" Harry nodded.

"Makes sense" He held out her hand "Come on - we can go and ask Draco" She grinned, then took his hand. 

"Uncle Draco should be in Room 314" She said. 

"I wanted to ask - Uncle Draco?" He looked at her as they walked along the corridor to the other end.

"Before The Fall he was like a second father to me" She paused "And given what my first father ended up being like....." Harry nodded.

"He babysat me a lot while I was younger, and I think that - apart from you and Luna - he was the one that my mother missed the most during our years in hiding" She looked up as they reached the door "I'm glad she can spend some time with him again - I think she has really missed him" She paused "Shall I?"

"Okay" He nodded. Calista knocked quietly, then - when there was no response, knocked again. She looked back at Harry.

"You don't think he's gone as well?" She asked urgently. Harry shrugged, so she turned back and pushed open the door and stuck her head inside. A moment later, she came back, face bright red "Uncle Draco isn't missing" She said.

"That's good" Harry started, but she interrupted him.

"Mother isn't missing any more either" She added. He stared at her for a moment, then his face went as red as hers.

"You mean....."

"Uh-huh" 

"And they...."

"I think so"

"So we should......"

"Oh god yes" She nodded, closing the door. She stared at it for a moment longer, then turned to face him "Breakfast?"

"Sounds like a plan" Harry replied, then they both turned and strode off down the corridor towards the stairs.

xoxox

"Good morning" Hannah looked up as Harry and Calista came down the stairs, then stared at them "Are you two feeling okay?"

"Yes! Why?!" Calista snapped. Hannah smiled.

"No reason" She gestured to the table "Have a seat - breakfast should be ready in a few minutes" 

"Thank you" Harry nodded, then they walked over and sat down.

"Luna was up around half an hour ago - she has gone for a walk in the village trying to find some supplies" Hannah stirred the eggs in the frying pan, then looked back at the table "And Harry - you are probably going to want to prepare yourself for a bit of a shock"

"Too late" Harry said under his breath, making Calista giggle. 

"Because three of our scouting parties are coming back, and while they don't know that you've come back, I suspect that you are going to be surprised that some of them are here" Hannah continued "Just promise me you will keep your wand in your pants and not whip it out the moment you see them" She realised Calista and Harry were now staring at her with extremely amused grins on their faces "What?"

"You think that the moment I will see them I will whip my wand out?" Harry asked, still grinning "Just who is coming that could cause me to have such a strong reaction?" Hannah continued to stare at them, then she suddenly blushed.

"MR POTTER!" She snapped. Harry and Calista laughed, making Hannah glare at them all the more which only increased their mirth. 

"Looks like we missed something, love" A voice said from the entrance to the bar. Harry and Calista turned as two people walked in. The person who had spoken - a man in his mid thirties, suddenly stopped, staring at Harry in shock. Hannah looked between them, then realised that - while the older man was staring at Harry in shock, Harry and Calista were staring at the older man in polite cluelessness.

"It's you" The older man said "I mean - it's really you"

"Apparently so" Harry stared back at him "Though now you are making me wonder if I am someone else" 

"No - it's definitely you" Hermione said, walking down the stairs "But given that the last time he saw you was just under twenty years ago, and you haven't aged, I think I can understand the confusion" She paused "Harry Potter, Calista - may I present Katie Bell and Dudley Dursley - the real Dudley Dursley in this case" Harry stood up, then walked over to his cousin.

"Dudley?" Harry looked him up and down "You've..... you've changed"

"You..... you haven't" Dudley stared at him "You are just the same. Just the same as when you stopped the dementoids - as when you saved my life" He paused "I never really thanked you for that" Harry blushed.

"You had other things on your mind at the time" He said "Like having your soul sucked out through your mouth" Harry looked at Katie "Katie - sorry. It's nice to see you again" Katie was eyeing him the same way his cousin had.

"Harry? You're..... you're tiny" She said, looking him up and down. He smiled back at her, then she launched herself at him, pulling him in to a hug "I thought you were dead - we all thought you were dead"

"Not me" Draco said, coming down the stairs "I always knew he would come back - a Potter wouldn't be a Potter if he couldn't laud his triumph over the little people" Harry turned to him.

"I love you too, Draco" He said with a laugh. Draco grinned, then everyone walked over to the table and sat down, while Hannah dished out the breakfast. Draco pulled Hermione's chair out, then sat down next to her. 

"So how did you sleep last night, Hermione?" He asked, pulling the plate towards himself. 

"Very well, thank you Drake" She replied, picking up her knife and fork. Calista watched them for a moment, then rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to pretend, Mum" She said in an amused tone "I already know the truth" Hermione looked at her questioningly.

"The truth, dear?"

"When I woke up, I came looking for you" Calista smiled "And when you weren't in the room you went in to last night, I got a little worried" Hermione sighed, closing her eyes. 

"And then I ran in to Harry, who got equally concerned that you might be missing, so we came to talk to the other person we knew would know" Calista turned to looked at Draco "Uncle Draco" Draco looked back at her, a slight smile crossing his face.

"Normally I would ask how long this has been going on" Calista said with a laugh "But since you haven't seen each other for twelve years, I think I can take a guess" She paused "Uncle Draco?"

"Yes, Cally?"

"If you hurt her, I will rip out your heart, stick it in an oven, cook it until it turns black, baste it with vinegar and salt, put it on a bed of wild rice and roast vegetables and then make you eat it" Everyone turned to stare at her with expressions varying from amusement to utter disbelief.

"Calista!" Her mother scolded, but Calista merely grinned.

"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" She looked at Draco, who smiled.

"The last thing I would do is hurt her, Cally" He smiled across at Hermione, who smiled back "And, given what you know of your mother, do you really think there would be anything left of me if I did?" Calista laughed.

"That much is true" She nodded "Then I give you my blessing" She paused, then smirked "Not that you appear to want or need it" She laughed again as both Draco and Hermione blushed bright red.

"Draco blushing like a school girl" Harry smiled "I never thought I'd live to see the day" Draco stuck out his tongue "That's better" He smiled, then looked at Hermione "Are you happy?" Hermione glanced at Draco, then looked back at her best friend.

"For the first time in twelve years - maybe the first time since you vanished - I feel like I have come home. That I belong" She paused "Yes" Harry smiled.

"Then I am happy for you" He paused "For - and I can't believe I am saying this - for both of you" Hermione and Draco smiled, then Harry turned to Dudley with a curious expression.

xoxox

Two - Dudley's Story

"So, Big D, how did my magic hating muggle cousin end up running with a group of mages trying to overthrow the magical government?" He asked "Because this is a story I have to hear" Dudley smiled.

"And quite a tale it is too. Full of dragons, heroes, dark deeds and heroic acts. Where danger lurks in every corner and peril hides behind every tree" He said in a deep, dramatic voice. Harry stared at him with a slightly sarcastic look "Well - more or less"

"After you went missing, my parents fled Little Whining and moved to Italy" Dudley said "I hate to admit it, but they were glad to be rid of you, and they thought your dying was the best thing you ever did - the only good thing you ever did" He looked slightly embarrassed, but Harry waved his hand.

"It's not like that's news to me" He said.

"Anyway - I stayed. I turned sixteen so I moved in to a flat on my own" Dudley leaned back in his chair, and glanced at Katie "When Hogwarts fell, Voldemort had a bit of a paddy, and he torched the whole of Little Whining" He sighed "I watched it happen from Greendale Hill, helpless to stop it. After it was done, I went back and found that our house - that Number 4 was still standing, entirely untouched" 

"We found that too" Luna said "It's where we've been hiding since we came back"

"That was when something that Mum once said came back to me" Dudley looked over at Harry "That - as long as you were alive, and called our house Home - it would be protected" He paused "Which meant that you were still alive"

"A week later, I received an owl" Katie said "It seems that he remembered you talking about Hermione and Ron, but that you also talked about me" She smiled seductively at him "Were you talking about little old me?" Harry blushed slightly. 

"I might have mentioned you once or twice" He glanced at Dudley "When....."

"You really don't want me telling you that now" Dudley replied with a smirk. Harry furrowed his brow, then his eyes widened.

"Anyway" He said quickly, turning to Katie "You received an owl?"

"I have to admit - it surprised the life out of me" Katie grinned "An owl from a muggle - and the cousin of Harry Potter, no less" She ruffled Dudley's hair "I apparated to where he was hiding out, and we talked for a few hours. I told him all about the fall of Hogwarts, and that we'd set up somewhere new" 

"She invited me to go to Arcadia" Dudley said "And I was tempted - partly by the idea of seeing a purely magical village, but also by the person who invited me" Katie giggled, turning slightly pink "But the truth was I thought that I wouldn't be welcome - that I would be in the way" He sighed "So I said no, but that I would stay in the muggle world and keep in touch with her"

"He kept us up to date with what was going on in the muggle world, and any unexplained events that might be related to Voldemort" Katie said. 

"Three years later - on your birthday - the owl came back" Dudley said "I tried to get it to go again, but it refused, and dropped the letter" He reached out and took Katie's hand "I feared the worst - that everyone had died" 

"When I apparated to him the day after, he nearly pouncehuggled me to death" Katie said with a wide grin "After Hermione's instructions - to scatter - I decided to join Dudley in the muggle world. To stay out of the fight until we were ready to reunite" 

"And when that came - when Draco recalled all of us that he could find - I went with her" Dudley finished "While I didn't think I'd be much use in the magical world, I knew that I didn't want to be parted from my Kate" They smiled at each other, making Harry smile too. 

"Since then, they have been working together as a scouting and surveillance team" Draco said from his seat next to Hermione "One of our best" He paused "And another of our teams is just coming in now" He glanced at Harry "You're probably going to want to brace yourself for this"

"Draco! Someone's been at Hogwarts! The Acromantula are swarming and the trapdoor here....." The oldest of the three trailed off, staring past Draco at the two people sat beyond him at the table "HARRY?"

"Hello Colin" Harry smiled back, then looked past him "Dennis, Emma" 

"HARRY?" Colin repeated.

"Why are they always happy to see you?" Luna asked with a fake pout "Did no one miss me?"

"HARRY?" Colin stared at him, then Dennis whacked him on the back of the head. Emma Creevey giggled, while Colin turned to stare at his brother.

"Was that strictly necessary?" He asked. Dennis smirked.

"I think if you said 'HARRY' one more time, someone else would have done it" Colin blushed.

"Sorry - it was just a bit of shock" He turned back to Harry "It's really you? You're back?"

"Yes, Colin, I am back" Harry nodded.

"I'm here too, you know" Luna said, still pouting. 

"Yes dear" Harry grinned at her, then he turned back to Colin "Say hello to Luna, Colin"

"Hello Luna" Colin said reflexively, making everyone laugh, then he blushed and looked at Luna "Sorry, Luna - it is very nice to see you again as well" 

"Thank you" Luna tilted head her head in acknowledgement, then looked at the rest of the group "See how easy that is?" 

"I'm just making breakfast" Hannah said "So - have a seat and pull up a plate" She smiled at the three newcomers, who all did as she said. Emma looked across the table, then a smile came across her face.

"So you two finally worked it out?" She asked, looking at Hermione and Draco. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Fraking empaths" She said under her breath, making Emma smile sweetly at her.

"You know you love me" She grinned "And you didn't answer my question" 

"Like you really need an answer, little flower" Draco smiled at her "But since you are so interested, yes - we finally worked it out" He paused "Would you like the details?"

"NO!" Harry, Luna, Hannah, Parvati, Padma, Colin and Dennis all shouted together.

xoxox

Three - Like Mother, Like Daughter

"That was lovely as always, Hannah" Colin pushed his plate away "Thank you" His words were echoed all around the table. 

"You are all most welcome" Hannah smiled, then looked at Hermione and Draco "But now, since I have discharged my duties, I think that it is your turn" The two of them looked back at her, then Hermione stood up.

"Draco and I talked about this last night" She paused, then smirked "When we weren't busy doing other things"

"Mother!" Calista glared at her "I've already been traumatised by seeing you two - I don't need to hear any more about it!"

"Yes dear" Hermione grinned "Anyway - I realise that I have been gone a while, and that I haven't suffered the way you have over the past twelve years since we saw each other last, and that I have no right to just waltz back in and expect to resume my position as Mistress of Arcadia, so to speak" She paused, then looked down at Draco.

"Unfortunately, your current leader doesn't seem to agree with me" She continued, pretending to frown at him "He says that while he has been in command of The Scar and The Moon, he has done everything in my name, and that all of you have followed him in that capacity" He gazed back up at her with a defiant smile.

"So, before we decide what we are going to do next, I want to ask you now" She paused "Will you...."

"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"  
"Yes"

"....let me finish a sentence!" She threw her arms up in annoyance "Okay - if you are going to let me take charge, then here is my first command - anyone who interrupts my next question will have to bring me an acromantula heart as a punishment" She stared around at them "Now - do you want to keep things as they are, with Draco in charge and leading you, or do you want me to take back the position I held in Arcadia, the position I held at Hogwarts, and run The Scar and The Moon together with Draco?" She looked around, and when no one responded, she rolled her eyes "That was the end of the question - you can speak now" Everyone stared at her, then Padma stood up.

"Hermione - while I can't deny that Draco has lead us well over the past twelve years, I am sure he will admit that - without you - he has sometimes been lost and in desperate need of your guidance and help" Draco nodded "And I think I can speak for everyone - except perhaps Harry and Luna - when I say that we all trust Draco to speak for us" She paused "If he says you are our Leader once more, then you are our leader" Hermione looked around the table to see everyone nodding. Finally, she looked at Draco.

"I blame you for this, you know"

"I know" He grinned "You can punish me later" 

"Lalalalalalalalala" He turned to see Calista sticking her fingers in her ears.

"I blame you for that as well" Hermione added, making Draco laugh. He reached out and pulled Calista's fingers out of her ears.

"I promise not to tease you about your mother and me any more" He said with a smile "Unless, you know, you are asking for it" Calista smiled back at him.

"I would take that as a kindness" She paused, then grinned wickedly "Daddy" Draco stared at her, then looked up at Hermione.

"I blame you for this" He said, making Hermione laugh out loud.

"Okay - if everyone agrees, we'll call that settled" She said.

"What? That I can Draco Daddy?" Calista asked. Hermione glared at her, then turned back to the table.

"That I will come back as joint leader with Draco" She said, and everyone nodded their agreement "And no one gets to call Draco Daddy except me"

"LALALALALALALA!" 

xoxox

"Mister Director" Bellatrix walked in to Ron's office and stood in front of his desk "I have been asked to get an update on the investigation into the incident at your ex-wife's house" Ron looked up, then picked up three files from his desk. 

"Reports from the team members who made it back" He handed her the first one "Including those who are in hospital" He handed her the second "Forensic report by the DMLE - shows remarkably advanced magic as well as some muggle components" He paused, then handed her the third file "This one is the one I think you'll find most interesting" Bella looked at it, then back up at him.

"Why?" She asked.

"One of our contacts in muggle law enforcement provided me with the security camera footage from the day before our raid" He said "It took me a little while to find something to play it on, but when I did....." He trailed off.

"What?" Bellatrix asked.

"It showed something that you will probably want to inform The Minister of, not to mention The DMLE and everyone else" He reached over and opened the file. Bellatrix stared down at the picture, then up at Ron.

"I'll inform him at once" She said, her voice suddenly serious "Circulate this - I want everyone to know what is going on"

"Yes, ma'm" Ron nodded "I will ensure everyone will know within the hour" 

"See to it!" She said, then turned on her heel and swept out of the office. Ron looked back down at his desk at a copy of the photo.

A photo of a teenager with green eyes and messy black hair.

"So" He said to himself "You're back"

xoxox

Four - A Lesson From History

(The Hogs Head, 15th of February, 2015)

Hermione sat, staring at the group in front of her, then turned to stare at her.....

She trailed off, her thoughts juddering to a halt. 

What was Draco now?

Her boyfriend? At the age of 36, she was a little too old to have a boyfriend.

Her gentleman friend? Even as she thought it, she could feel herself rolling her eyes. What was she? The heroine of a Victorian novel where women stayed at home and received "gentleman callers"? 

Her lover? Well - taken literally, that was definitely true. But again - it just seemed the wrong term. 

"Sweetie?" She blinked, and realised she'd been staring at him for a few moments.

"Yes?" She blinked again "Sorry - I was just thinking about something"

"Anything interesting?" He asked, then he grinned as she blushed "That's been dancing in my mind as well" She gazed at him for a moment, then blushed a slightly deeper red.

"Not that!" She hissed "I was just wondering what I call you" 

"Drake? Draco?" He smirked "You could call me Big D, but I think that's taken already" Hermione whacked him on the arm.

"No....." She paused "I mean are you my boyfriend? My partner? My lover?" Draco stared back at her, a slight smile playing around his lips.

"How about fiance?" He asked. She stared at him, her eyes slowly widening. He continued to look at her, until she smiled.

"How about you ask me again when we have our country back?" She said softly. He smiled at her, then gave a single nod. 

"And until then, I can be your Drake" He said "And you can be my Jane" She smiled back at him, then nodded back.

"So, my Drake, how did you ever get anything done in your meetings?" She gestured to the group that - through all of their discussion - had continued arguing about what they were going to do next.

"Well - I had one of two ways" He said with a wicked grin "The first was to let them talk themselves out, until they ran out of steam" 

"And the second?" His smile grew even more wicked, then he turned, and drew his wand.

A second later, a huge demon rose up behind the group.

"SHUT! UP!" It bellowed, making every one at the table, except Draco and Luna, jump in surprise and turn to stare at it "Thank you. Now - if you would like to direct your attention to Miss Granger and Mister Black, I believe they have something to say" The demon looked past them to Draco and Hermione "I think my work here is done" He tipped his imaginary hat, then vanished in a puff of smoke. Harry turned to stare at Hermione and Draco.

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"That was Lucy" Draco grinned "And now that we have your attention, perhaps we could discuss out plans in a civilised manner, rather than just yelling at each other like a bunch of Gryffindors" He paused "No offence"

"None taken" Hermione said.

"Some taken" Harry said, making Draco laugh.

"Anyway" Hermione stood up "The way I see it is we have three choices" She paused "We can launch an all out attack on The Ministry to try to get Harry in far enough to kill Voldemort" She grimaced "The downside of this plan is I am pretty sure all of us would probably get killed, and even if Harry survived long enough to kill him, he might not survive very long after that" 

"Lets call that Plan Z" Harry suggested.

"Gladly" Hermione replied "I've just got you back - it would be a shame to lose you again so soon. So - the second option is we join Harry and Luna in their campaign of terrorism"

"You think we're terrorists?" Luna asked.

"I think that's what you'll be called" Hermione shrugged "And to be honest, we are using violence to achieve political ends. Just because we are doing it against a truly bad guy doesn't change that" Luna stared at her with an amused grin.

"Much like The Scar and The Moon" She pointed out. 

"Much like" Hermione nodded "With the right plan, we can take out all of Voldemort's support, and hopefully get the public to rise up against him" She paused "However....."

"However there is the chance that Voldemort will lash out" Draco said "He will punish the innocent because he can't find us" He sighed "The deportations, the labour camps, the executions"

"So we might be able to free our world, but at what cost?" Hermione said sadly.

"Do you think that they will be any better off if we let him live?" Harry asked "That if we simply leave him be, he will stop the killing, the torture?"

"Probably not" Draco admitted "But there has to be a better way - a way to take back our world without all the death and violence" He paused "Doesn't there?"

"Troy" Padma said suddenly. 

"Gesundheit!" Parvati replied.

"Do you have to do that joke every time?" Her twin asked. 

"Apparently so" Parvati grinned.

"Even though you know what I said I would do to you if you did it again?" 

"Even so" Parvati continued to grin at her. Padma stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

"I'll let it go for the moment, sister of mine, but trust me - when you least expect it, I will have my revenge!" She threw her head back and cackled "Mwahahahahahaha!" She paused, then looked around at the group "Sorry - where was I?"

"In Troy, apparently" Luna said.

"Yes!" Padma clapped her hands together "So far our two alternatives are to launch an all out attack on The Ministry or carry out a campaign of terror that will probably get most of us killed, and the rest of us hated" She paused "What if we could do both? Or - at least - an approximation of both?" Luna stared at her, a look of admiration coming over her face.

"So how would it work? I mean - from what you've told me, there aren't that many of us left, so could we really do enough?" 

"I think we can" Padma nodded "And - if we do it right, we can maybe get some of the people off the fence and get them to help" 

"They'd be risking a lot" Luna pointed out.

"More than they are by doing nothing?" Padma asked, making Luna shrug. 

"I suppose not" She looked across at Harry "What about the second part?"

"That's where Troy comes in" Padma said.

"Who's Troy?" Dudley interrupted. Padma and Luna turned to look at him, then they both went slightly pink.

"Sorry" Padma said "It was a habit we got in to back in Ravenclaw Tower - when a group of us were studying together we learned to read between the lines, so to speak" She paused, marshalling her thoughts, then turned to Hermione and Draco.

"Professor Binns was a truly appalling history teacher. That Umbridge bitch wasn't much better, so there is a chance neither of you has heard about The Battle of Troy" Hermione smiled.

"The war between the Trojans and the Greeks over Helen" She said, and Padma grinned.

"That is the version that The ICW put in to the muggle world" She explained "Even though Troy was a magical war, the world was a lot smaller back then and the muggle world noticed what was going on"

"Okay....." Hermione frowned "So what's the real story?"

"The real story would take an age to tell, but in short Paris was a Dark Lord ascending, and like all Dark Lords he wanted to rule forever. He found a ritual - a very, very dark ritual now lost in the midsts of time - that would let him have true immortality" 

"A true immortal is not just one that can live forever" Luna said when a few people looked at Padma questioningly "But one that can survive all illness, malady and sickness" 

"So you can imagine the attractiveness of the ritual" Padma said "And after he researched it, he learned that all he needed was the purest heart in the realm" 

"Helen" Hermione said.

"Got it in one" Padma nodded "He took Helen from her king, and returned to Troy to complete the ritual"

"I take it he failed?" Draco asked "Because I am pretty sure there is no Dark Lord named Paris any more" He paused "Is there?"

"No - there's no Dark Lord Paris" Padma shook her head "Because King Menelaus rallied the wizards from eight realms to his side, and they lay siege to the city of Troy - creating a massive ward around the city that prevented any magic from taking place"

"The Trojan War" Hermione said "The Greeks kept the siege up for ten years before their army was defeated" 

"Supporting a ward that powerful for ten years was no mean feat" Padma said "They burned through mages at an alarming rate, and that was on top of the attacks Paris kept launching at them. Menelaus realised they would have to abandon the siege or lose what remained of his forces and abandon it anyway" She shrugged "So they cast a massive glamour over their forces, making it look like they'd vanished. Paris came out to claim victory, and to destroy the ward stones that were preventing his final rise to power, and found a giant wooden horse"

"This is the bit I never understood" Hermione admitted "If I found a giant wooden horse outside a city I had been fighting for the previous ten years, I would be a little suspicious - to the point where I would be more likely to burn it than to take it inside the city limits - or the ward boundaries in this case"

"But if - say - Theodore Nott had kept you prisoner within a city for ten years, and you knew that all he wanted to do was kill you, and then you saw a chance to kill him, once and for all, wouldn't you do anything you could to make take that chance?"

"Helen?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.

"My great, great, great - blah, blah, blah - great, great grandmother" Luna said with a proud smile "She cast a low level imperious on him to bring the horse in"

"A horse that contained twenty two battle mages" Padma nodded "Troy fell in a matter of hours, Paris was killed and Helen returned to her husband, and they had a long and happy life" She paused "So - not to sound like a school teacher - but do you all understand the moral of my story?" 

"Don't kidnap women to rip out their heart to use in the darkest of magics, because you end up being eaten by a giant wooden horse?" Dudley asked with a slight smile "Because that seems oddly specific and not a lot of help in our current situation" Padma turned to face him, then - when he blew her a kiss - smiled.

"Anyone else want to take a guess?" She asked.

"That if we want to get to Voldemort, we have to give him a present he can't resist" Calista said "Something that he will want to take back to The Ministry, or his evil lair" She paused "A giant wooden horse" She frowned, then glanced across at Harry "I'm guessing that would be you?"

"No" Hermione said suddenly "That would be me" Everyone turned to face her.

"Hermione - I love you, and I am sure you are ready to do this, but you aren't the one in The Prophecy" Harry said "So even if you do get in to face him, all you can really do is kick him in the balls" Hermione laughed.

"While that does sound fun, I have a different plan in mind" She realised they were all looking at her curiously "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"

xoxox

Five - The Plan

"Minister" Bellatrix bowed "We have a picture that suggests The Boy Who Lived has come back" Voldemort looked up at her with a slight frown.

"A picture?" He asked "What kind of picture?"

"The night that Director Weasley went after his ex-wife and daughter, Potter was seen in the area" She held the picture out "According to Ronald, Potter went to Granger's house and - while he can't be sure - he is more or less convinced that it was Potter that warned them we were coming" 

"And that was what prompted them to set the trap" Voldemort said, and although it wasn't a question, Bella felt compelled to nod.

"How would Harry Potter know the inner workings of The Ministry?" He asked her.

"I don't know, My Lord" 

"And how would he know we would pick that night to launch an attack on Granger and her daughter?"

"I don't know, my Lord" Bella paused "Although it was the day Lucius was killed. Maybe Potter heard about that and decided we'd be going after Granger as a result"

"Possible" Voldemort admitted "It does fit with what we know of him - his desire to save everyone"

"Granger was his best friend, before he vanished" Bella supplied "If he was going to take the risk for anyone, it would be her" She paused "Could we use that, my Lord?"

"Explain" 

"From what I remember - Harry Potter was great friends with both Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley" She paused "If we could put Ronald in to a situation where his life his in danger, perhaps it would draw Potter out?" Voldemort stared at her for a moment, then shook his head.

"I think that if Potter knows enough about Granger to know where she lives, then he will at least know the salient details of her life" He said calmly "Including who the father of her daughter is, and what he has been up to in Potter's absence" Bellatrix nodded.

"So their friendship will be somewhat.... tarnished" She said "Very well, my Lord - what are you orders, Minister?" Voldemort looked at her, then smiled.

"The same as they have always been, Bellatrix" He said "Find Potter and bring him before me"

"Yes, my Lord"

xoxox

Hermione fell silent, then smiled as everyone stared at her with the same expression. It was the one Harry and Ron used to give her, back at Hogwarts. She referred to it as the "bat-crap-crazy" smile, though generally it meant the person they were looking at - in this case her - was the crazy one.

"So - you all think I'm crazy?" She asked. Both Draco and Harry laughed, then looked at each other in surprise.

"My two boys" She said, making them both stare at her "You two are a lot more alike than you think"

"Me? Like Potter?" Draco shook his head "Now my life is complete"   
"Me? Like Malfoy?" Harry rolled his eyes "Couldn't you find a less insulting comment?"

"See" She laughed "Anyway - you didn't answer my question" 

"Yes, you're crazy" Luna said in a deadpan voice.

"So you don't think it'll work?" Calista asked "Because I think it's genius" Hermione smiled at her daughter.

"Thank you sweetie" She said.

"You're still crazy" Calista added, making Hermione roll her eyes.

"Thank you sweetie" She said, slightly more sarcastically than the first time.

"I think it will work" Dudley said "But are you sure you want to do this? You'll be putting yourself in a lot of danger - both of you - and if The IS and The DMLE decide against arresting you, there will be very little any of us can do to stop them"

"I know" Hermione said "But if we just wait here for Voldemort and his goon squad to come for us, then we'll be just as dead" She paused "At least this way - if we die, we die fighting"

"Why does it matter?" Parvati asked "I mean - if we are going to die either way, does it really matter how it happens?"

"When the fall is all that's left, it matters very much" Dudley said quietly, then looked up at Hermione "I'm in"

"Me too" Luna said, then at Hermione's questioning expression, she added "You think I'm gonna bet against the smartest witch? I may be crazy, but I'm not mad" Hermione couldn't help laughing.

"So - what's it to be?" She asked the rest "I know that I am your exalted glorious leader, but - as Dudley pointed out - this is ludicrously dangerous. Quite aside from the danger to Harry and me, the rest of you could easily be killed in the cross fire" She paused "So I am not going to force this on you unless you all agree" There were a few moments of silence, then they all nodded.

"Okay then" She let out a slight sigh of relief "While I'd rather get this over and done with as soon as possible, there are things we all need to learn, and to get the word out so that we don't just turn up to find no one there" She looked at Luna "While I'd prefer this to be next year, I don't want to wait that long, so how do you feel about having a very special birthday this year?"


	8. Part 7 - When Tomorrow Comes

One - On The Night Before

(The Hogs Head, 27th of February, 2015)

Hermione stared at the papers in front of her, then dropped her head in to her hands.

"Something vexes thee, dear one?" Draco asked, slipping in to the seat next to her. She looked up at him with a worried expression.

"How did you do this? How did you do this all alone for so long?" He smiled fondly, then pulled her chair over until he could pull her in to her arms.

"By prefixing every decision, every choice, every thought with 'What would Jane do?'" He stroked her hair "Ever since Potter vanished, I have watched you, my love" Hermione gave a soft laugh.

"You know how creepy that sounds, right?" Draco grinned.

"Not until I said it out loud" He confessed "Anyway - I watched you lead your little band of rebels, until they came to arrest you. Then I watched you take charge, and save all of us"

"Not all" She said quietly. 

"You didn't let them die, dear - they gave up their lives to save you - to save all of us" He gazed down at her, but when she didn't respond, he continued "Then you lead us at Arcadia, saving countless others in the process" She straightened up and looked at him.

"Are you going to use Arcadia as an example of how good I am?" She asked with a slightly amused grin.

"When Arcadia fell, you saved as many of us as you could" He replied simply "And Arcadia didn't fall because of anything you did" He paused, then gave her a sly grin "Except for marrying that tool Weasley" She laughed.

"Are you coming to a point, love of my love?" She asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am" He smiled "I just have one more thing before I get to it" 

"Okay - lay it on me" 

"You've managed to stay alive for the past twelve years, despite being on Voldemort's most hunted list" He smiled "All of which shows me you are very good at what you do, and that I can not think of anyone who I would rather follow when tomorrow comes"

"Even if I lead you to a brutal, horrible, bloody death?" She asked.

"Even so" He nodded "Although, if I have a choice, I'd prefer not" She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss.

"I'm not keen on it either" She turned to look at the papers, but he pulled her to her feet.

"Enough - you've read those a hundred times, and they are not going to change if you don't read them again" He kissed her "Come on - I have a surprise for you"

xoxox

Outside, on a swing that Draco had repaired a year or so earlier, Harry and Calista were starting up at the stars, gently swinging back and forth.

"So - tomorrow" Calista said quietly, not looking at the boy next to her.

"Belongs to me?" Harry asked with a slightly amused tone. Calista laughed.

"Lets hope" She said "Although I am not sure my mother would appreciate the sentiment" Harry laughed.

"Then we won't tell her" He announced, then - with a wicked grin - added "We might just hum it occasionally in her presence" Calista smiled, then looked over at him.

"How can you be so relaxed?" She looked at her hands "We could all be dead by this time tomorrow, and you're making jokes and planning on teasing my mother" He shrugged.

"When I was eleven, I was thrust into a world that hailed me as their saviour" He said in a matter of fact tone "And less than a year later I was facing the man who killed my parents" 

"And a year after that you were facing the basilisk" She said "Mum asked Salazar about that, by the way"

"Oh yes?"

"Seems Salazar was a lot like your friend Hagrid" Calista grinned "He bought the creature when it was a baby, and brought her to the castle. He was going to take her to Arcadia when they left Hogwarts, but they left the castle in a hurry and he had to leave her behind" 

"And the Enemies of The Heir? The Chamber of Secrets?"

"Not a secret. It was the place The Founders had their meetings - out of the way of everyone else - and after they left, people just forgot where it was. Voldemort brought back the myth when he wanted to start his reign of terror" She paused "So you were saying?"

"My whole life - well, my whole magical life at least - has been spent living in terror and being subjected to dangers beyond reason" He leaned his head back, staring up at the skies "This is just one more danger to face - even if it is slightly more.... dangerous than usual"

"Do you think we can win?" She asked hesitantly. Turning to face her, he smiled.

"I think that if we take the war to him - especially if we do it this way - then we have the best chance" He glanced over to where Draco and Hermione had come out of the pub, and were walking in the garden "So - have you become reconciled to them yet?" Calista followed his gaze, then smiled.

"They're good for each other" She said "The last twelve years, Mum has been a little lonely - she's never been able to get close to anyone, because Voldemort and The IS were always on our trail" 

"And Mal.... and Draco?" 

"I always had an idea that he liked her - back in Arcadia that is" She admitted "But Mum was clearly and completely in love with Ron back then - no one else would have stood a chance" She shuffled over and leaned her head on his shoulder, then they both watched Hermione and Draco stop in the garden, sit on one of the stone benches and stare up at the stars.

"So you'd give them your blessing?" He asked.

"If they ask" She nodded.

"What makes you think he hasn't already?" He teased. 

"Oh - he has" Calista nodded "But Mum doesn't want to say yes until all this is done with" She paused "I think she is so used to being alone that she doesn't want to let herself depend on anyone else, even Uncle Draco" With a slight blush, she added "Something I can sympathise with"

xoxox

Hermione leaned back in to Draco's arms, snuggling back against his chest. Feeling his warm arms encircle her, she smiled.

"So - do you think they'll work it out?" Draco asked, resting his chin on her head. For a moment, she was a little confused, then she saw her daughter and Harry sat on the old porch swing. 

"She is her mother's daughter" Hermione said with a proud smile.

"So they'll have to wait twelve years?" Draco asked with a laugh, then grinned as she reached back and punched his arm.

"I'm sorry it took so long, love" She said, resting her hands on his, but he shook his head.

"Back in school you were the know-it-all mudblood - the muggle-born witch who made every single pureblood feel stupid" He said quietly "The fact that a muggle-born could be top at anything was of great annoyance to me, and to my father" 

"And you were the pureblood prince of Slytherin" Hermione smiled "A pampered child of privilege who got every advantage" She snuggled against him again "Your every move screamed with the idea that you were the superiorest of the superior, and that we were not worthy to act as the cobblestones beneath your feet, let alone be impertinent enough to outscore and out perform you at everything"

"It would never have worked" He admitted, then gave a soft laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"The idea that I owe my future happiness - possibly the most happy I have ever been - to Voldemort and my father" He paused "Do you think I should send him a thank you card?" Hermione laughed as well.

"I'd wait until tomorrow - then you can deliver it in person" She yawned "Sorry...."

"You're tired" He kissed the top of her head "We should get to bed" Hermione snorted in amusement.

"Were you this insatiable in school......" Before she could finish, she let out another yawn. 

"Okay - when you can't even tease me without yawning, I definitely think it is bedtime" He pulled her to her feet "Come along"

"What about them?" She asked, gesturing over to where Calista and Harry were still sat talking.

"They'll work it out, dear" He said, taking her hand "Now - come on, or you'll be no use to anyone in the morning" She smiled.

"Yes, dear" 

xoxox

Two - Liberation Day

(The Ministry, 28th of February, 2015)

"LISTEN UP!" Ron strode out in front of a hall packed with every law enforcement agent in the country "According to our sources, The Scar and The Moon are going to stage a trio of protests today. With the return of Harry Potter to the country, they are hoping to stir up popular opinion against The Ministry"

"Do they really think that will work?" Brianna Zabini asked "That the public will turn against The Minister just because they can show us a boy with a scar on his head?" 

"Minister Voldemort has no worries that this will lead to a revolution, Miss Zabini" Ron smiled "However The Ministry believes that to allow any show of dissension to go unchallenged will set a dangerous precedent. So we are going to crush these three protests, arrest anyone who dares to speak out against the lawful government and ensure that no one will dare do it again" He looked down at his list.

"I will be leading the team to Diagon Alley, Bellatrix Black will be leading the team to to Theatric Alley in Cardiff and Brianna Zabini will be leading a team to Sartori Alley in Glasgow. Everyone is to be captured alive, brought back to The Ministry and interrogated.

"What if they fight back?" Brianna asked.

"Every effort must be made to bring prisoners back alive" Ron repeated "However I have been given instructions that - while it is important for the public to see that justice is being done, and that we are making every effort to treat those who disagree with us fairly, it is also important that we use a firm hand to ensure this country can be run for the good of everyone" He paused, then smiled.

"As a result, I have been authorised to tell you that the lives of our law enforcement agents are more important than the lives of those who oppose the greater good. As a result, you are given leave to use lethal force, should you deem it necessary" 

"Thank you" Brianna nodded.

"However, there are five specific prisoners that must be returned alive regardless of the circumstances" Ron added "Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Weasley and Calista Weasley" He looked around "Anyone who fails to remember this will answer to me. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes, sir" The entire group said back.

"Excellent" Ron smiled "The protests are supposed to start around lunch time, so we move out at noon to arrest them in the act"

xoxox

"Is everyone ready?" Hermione looked around the small group gathered in The Hogs head. 

"Yes, boss" Everyone replied, making her grin.

"Okay - we are starting the rallies at noon, which means we can expect a response by around one o'clock" She continued, glancing at the plan on the desk "If everything goes as we expect, then we should be done by around tea time" She paused "I talked to Madame Maxime this morning, and if everything goes badly she is expecting anyone who wants to flee" She looked around "I expect everyone to take her up on that offer - no false heroics, no pointless deaths"

"Yes boss" Everyone replied again.

"Good" She gave a brief nod, then glanced at her watch "We leave in an hour"

xoxox

Three - Come Fight For Your Freedom And Land

(Sartori Alley, Magical Quarter, Glasgow)

"For twenty years, we have been forced to live under this cruel, vile, evil dictator!" Katie talked through an amplified microphone to a crowd that - although small - had already double in size since she started talking "I know you have suffered - we have too. We have lost friends, partners, loved ones - we have all given way too much for way too long in return for way to little"

"But what can we do?" Someone from the crowd yelled back "We can't stand up to The Inquisition Squad - we can't stand up to The Minister" 

"BUT WE CAN!" Katie said in a triumphant voice "Voldemort knows this - he knows that we are only living in fear because of a prophecy. A prophecy made twenty five years ago. A prophecy that is about to come true" She grinned as the entire crowd fell silent.

xoxox

(Diagon Alley, Magical Quarter, London)

"Most of you know me - and I am certain all of you have heard of me" Hermione looked out along the length of Diagon Alley at the growing crowd assembling in front of the hastily built podium.

"It has been a while - a long while - since I was seen on the streets of magical Britain, but now I am here to tell you I am back. Back to fight for what is right. Back to fight against the tyrannical leader who has held us all in thrall for too long. Back to reclaim what is ours - to reclaim our country for everyone, not just those who suck up to our Minister of Magic!" She paused "My name is Hermione Jane Granger, and I am here to tell you that today we take back our country"

"But how?" A voice called out "You know the prophecy as well as all of us. No one can kill Minister Voldemort - he is immortal"

"NO - HE IS NOT!" Calista yelled "He can be killed. And I have met the person who can do it"

xoxox

(Theatric Alley, Magical Quarter, Cardiff)

"For the last twenty years you have been living in fear" Luna stood in front of the branch of Gringotts, careful to not actually encroach on Goblin territory - given that she knew Voldemort's goons would be coming soon she did not want to drag the goblins in to the war - and addressed the group of people in front of her "But I am here to tell you that today it ends. Today we are going to march on The Ministry and demand our government back from the hands of those who have misused it these past two decades"

"Who are you to make such announcements?" A woman called out.

"I AM LUNA ELOISE LOVEGOOD!" She announced proudly "I have been gone these past two decades - taken out of time to ensure that I could return when Britain most needed me" She paused "But I was not taken alone. Nor have I returned alone" She turned slightly, then the crowd fell silent as a figure in a cloaked hood strode up to stand beside her.

xoxox

"YES!" Katie's voice echoed through Sartori Alley, making everyone turn to listen "HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS RETURNED!" There were a few cheers and a number of surprised yells, but she continued "Gone these two decades, he has returned to save us all from the darkness that engulfed this country!"

xoxox

"So if you value the freedom you once had - the freedom to do, think and say what you please, to walk down the streets without risking jail for the tiniest infraction, to take back our country from those who would claim they are our masters - then stand with him - come with us now to retake our society!" Hermione looked around Diagon Alley and saw the bright smiles spreading from face to face. She glanced at Calista, who was smiling back at her.

xoxox

"I am the one prophesied to destroy Voldemort - and today I intend to fulfil that prophecy" Harry stood next to Luna, facing the Cardiff crowd "Today we take back our country. Today we win the victory that we have waited for for so long. And tonight we will celebrate the freedom hard won, and the future we can now have!" He stared around the crowd, smiling as the looks of resolution and defiance grew.

Then he looked towards the end of the Alley, and - if anything - his smile grew bigger.

xoxox

"YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST!" A voice rang through the Scottish Alley. Katie looked over to see Brianna Zabini, flanked by five Aurors, walking towards them. They all had their wands raised, and Brianna had a fierce look on her face. 

"Guys?" Katie looked at her friends "Time to go to work" Dudley, Fred, George and Hannah smiled back.

"My darling" Dudley smiled "I would consider is a genuine pleasure" At the same time, Fred and George pulled out their wands, while Hannah drew a broadsword from inside her robes. Dudley drew two pistols from his jacket pockets. 

"Miss Zabini" Katie nodded politely as Brianna reached the platform and looked up at them "You have one chance to surrender - one chance to save yourself from an eternity in Azkaban. If you put down your wands now, and leave us be, then we will see to it that you are treated fairly when your dark master is driven from power and killed" She stared defiantly at her "Fight us, and you will be punished"

"If I return empty handed, my life will not be worth living" Brianna replied "And, as I am sure you are aware, preaching treason and sedition against The Ministry is a crime punishable by death" 

"So you are going to fight?" Katie asked.

"Looks like" Brianna stared up at her "Unless you'd like to surrender and come quietly"

"If you think I ever come quietly, you really should talk to my boyfriend" Katie replied, then - while Brianna was staring at her in surprise - she threw a series of curses down from the stage.

A second later, the entire alley erupted in spell-fire.

xoxox

"YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST!" Hermione stared across Diagon Alley, then looked down at her daughter.

"Make it look as real as possible, darling" She said "I want them to think this was as hard as it should be" She realised Calista was giving her a funny look "What?" Calista shook her head, then smiled.

"Just realising how odd that sounds coming out of your mouth, and how much therapy I might need in the future" She paused, then grinned "And thinking up a few witty come backs I could use - if we had the time" Hermione smiled, then looked up as Ron came to a halt in front of the platform, flanked by a team of five guards in red robes.

"Hello sweetie" She said with a smile "It's been a while"

"Hermione Jane Weasley, you are under arrest for treason, sedition, terrorism, terrorism with bloodshed and kidnapping" Ron said matter of factly "You will hand over your wand and any other magical devices, then turn yourself in for detention, interrogation and trial. 

"Kidnapping?" Hermione frowned "I will admit to bloodshed - but your IS guards were trying to break in to my house, so some could argue they got what was coming to them. And I suppose, from a certain point of view, treason, sedition and terrorism could be an apt description for telling the truth about that mad, insane bastard you work for. But kidnapping?" She shook her head "I don't kidnap, Ronald - I kill"

"You took my daughter from me" Ron snapped back, glancing at Calista "You took her from me against my will"

"You had just arranged the mass slaughter of everyone I loved and had betrayed everything we stood for" Hermione yelled back "Forgive me for saying so, but that doesn't qualify you as father of the year" She paused "Besides - I gave her a choice" 

"She did" Calista nodded "She asked if I wanted to go with Daddy or with her" She shrugged "I chose the parent that has not murdered hundreds of my friends and set fire to the only home I had ever known" 

"You were not old enough to chose, and under magical law, children belong to their father" Ron said "Darling - you are not under arrest, but you have to come with me if you want to be safe" Calista stared at him for a moment, then slapped him as hard as she could.

"If the price of safety is coming with you, I would rather die where I stand" Ron, rubbing his jaw, simply shrugged.

"That can be arranged" He took a step back "TAKE THEM!"

xoxox

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!" Bellatrix Black swooped down on a broom, then came to a halt in front of where Harry, Luna, Padma, Draco and Parvati were addressing the Welsh crowd. A moment later, five Aurors swept in and landed beside her.

"Six? That's all you brought?" Harry asked with an amused grin "Are you sure you don't want to go and get another twenty - just to make it a fair fight" 

"You think the six of us can't take the five of you?" Bella stared at him with a slightly impressed look "You have more guts than I thought" She paused, then her smile turned nasty "And I would consider it a great honour to spill them all over the street" 

"Ah ah ah" Luna shook her finger reproachfully "You know the prophecy, Bellatrix - if only he can kill your insane fool of a master, then only your insane fool of a master can kill him" Bella stared at her, then laughed.

"Then so be it" She drew her wand and pointed it at Luna "Mr Potter - hand over your wand and any other weapons, or your girlfriend dies in the most bloody, horrible way imaginable" Harry stared at her for a moment.

"Firstly - she's not my girlfriend. Secondly I don't think there is a curse that will kill her by causing her brain to explode from listening to The Spice Girls for the rest of eternity" He paused "But I take your point" He reached in to his robes with his left hand, and slowly withdrew his wand, tip first, and held it out "No one will give you any trouble - just don't hurt anyone"

"NO!" Draco took a step forward, but Harry turned to him.

"I don't want anyone else to die - not for me" He said softly. Draco stared balefully at him, then took a step back, and slowly withdrew his wand. 

xoxox

"Get backup" Brianna said to one of the Aurors. After ten minutes, the fight in Sartori Alley had degenerated in to a hit and run battle. The crowd had all but vanished, but those who had stayed were attacking the Aurors with not inconsiderable relish and fervour. Katie and Dudley were crouched behind a half demolished shop wall, while Fred, George and Hannah were apparating in and out, throwing curses with gay abandon when they appeared.

"Yes m'am" The Auror vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Brianna turned back, just in time to see Fred blast one of the other Aurors off his feet and in to a wall. The crunching noise his neck made when he hit the ground left her in little doubt as to his fate.

xoxox

"I really hope the goblins don't open their doors" Hermione remarked as another blast of spell fire crashed in to the doors of Gringotts "I don't want to win this war only to have to fight against the entire goblin nation"

"Don't worry, Mum" Calista threw a whirlwind curse across the street, sweeping an Auror in to a wall "They know that whatever damage we do, we'll make amends.... DOWN!" Without a second thought, Hermione threw herself to the ground, and a moment later Calista landed on top of her as a blasting curse destroyed the window - and most of the wall - behind them. 

"That was close" Hermione exhaled.

"Tell me about it" Calista looked down the Alley, then sighed "Colin and Emma are down - Dennis is fighting a good fight, but I don't think he has long"

"Okay" Her mother nodded "I think we have done what we needed to do" She paused "Where's Ronald?" 

"Over by Flourish and Blotts" Calista pointed a little way down the Alley. Hermione looked to where she had pointed, then nodded.

"Go and join Dennis - I'll follow you up in a moment. If Ron is anything like I remember, he will take that as his chance, and bring us down"

"You are sure he won't kill us?" Calista asked.

"No - he won't kill us" Hermione said "You are his first and only child - he will want you by his side when his master wins the war" 

"And you?" Calista raised her eyebrows.

"He will want me to watch as Voldemort rips the heart out of Harry" Hermione gave a wry laugh "He will want as many witnesses as he can, to ensure the news of his triumph is spread far and wide" She looked to where Ron was crouching down behind the wall "So - you ready?"

"Not in any sense of the word"

"Excellent" Hermione paused "Let's do it!"

xoxox

"You have made a good choice" Bella lined up Harry, Luna, Draco, Parvati and Padma against the wall then looked at her lead Auror "Scan them"

"Yes, m'am" The Auror nodded, then cast a series of diagnostic charms over each of the prisoners in turn. When the spells were complete, she looked back at Bella "They are all clean. No magic items, no residual charms" 

"Thank you" Bella pulled a set of portkeys out of her pocket "These will take you directly to a specially warded room in The DMLE. Once there, you will be processed for trial"

"Seriously?" Harry asked "You are still going with the story that I am going to be put on trial?" He shook his head "Why bother pretending, Bella - the moment I get there, Voldemort is going to kill me. I will be alone, unarmed and helpless and he will kill me" He smirked "Another glorious victory for the most powerful dark lord in a century" 

"Everyone will be treated as they deserved" Bellatrix said. 

"You realise that you can't win" Luna said "Harry's legend has lasted for twenty years - two decades of people have grown up believing he will free them" She paused "If Voldemort kills him in the dark - kills him with no witnesses - he will merely make him in to a martyr" She looked over at The Boy Who Lived "If you strike him down, he will only grow stronger" 

xoxox

"It's no good, m'am, I think we will have to retreat" Brianna stared at the Auror, then at the battle raging up and down the Alley. 

"Very well" Brianna nodded "We have done what we need to do - pull our forces out. We'll regroup at The Ministry, and get new orders from Ron and Bellatrix"

"Yes, m'am" 

xoxox

"STUPEFY!" Ron nearly screamed the stunning curse, and watched with a look of triumph as it smashed through the shield Hermione was holding up. A second later, two more curses came in from the side, knocking out Calista and Emma. 

"HOLD!" Ron called out, then he stood up and strode over to where his ex-wife, daughter and the three Creeveys were lying unconscious. 

"Sir - orders?" The two Aurors walked up to his side.

"Tie Granger and the Creeveys up" Ron said, staring down at the prone form of his daughter "I will take care of Calista"

"Yes, sir" They nodded.

"And run the usual diagnostic spells - take their wands, check for magic items and trace spells" He said "We are taking them to The Ministry and I do not want any surprises" 

"Yes, sir" They nodded again.

xoxox

Harry felt a slight tug on his stomach, then a sense of movement. When it stopped, he found himself in a large white room. A second later, Luna, Draco, Padma and Parvati appeared next to him.

"So - that went well" Harry said with a wry grin. 

"It could have been worse" Luna pointed out "She could have killed us on the spot" She looked around "What is this place?"

"The White Room" Draco said quietly. 

"You don't say" Harry grinned, making Draco roll his eyes.

"It was built fourteen years ago, Mr Potter, and is one of the single most scary locations in the known world" He looked around again "The magic that imbues the room can give you anything you need" Draco paused "It was based on The Room of Requirement - a room Hermione used at Hogwarts at the start of the rebellion - but while that one had some safeguards built in, this one doesn't"

"Safeguards?" Luna asked.

"It was a room at a school, so it could not create anything too dangerous" Padma said "No excessively dangerous spells, no dragons, no vartraxes"

"No snorkacks" Luna nodded understandingly.

"No snorkacks" Padma agreed. She looked around "A room that can produce anything really only has one use in The Ministry" She paused "A torture chamber"

There was a slight pause, then four more people appeared. Draco stared at them for a moment, then sighed.

"Well bugger" He said softly as he stared at the unconscious forms of Hermione, Colin, Dennis and Emma "I hoped they would have escaped"

"I am afraid I have to disappoint you" A black square appeared on one of the walls, and a moment later it morphed in to a door. 

"Ron?" Harry asked, looking over at Draco. The silver haired boy nodded "Swell" The door opened, and Ron strode in, Calista walking behind him. A moment later, Bellatrix and six Aurors came in. 

"Mr Potter" Ron inclined his head "It's been a while" 

"Not for me" Harry said, glaring back at him "To me it was only four months ago that we were strolling down to The Quidditch Pitch, ready to take on Slytherin and wipe the floor with them" He paused, then glanced across at Draco "No offence"

"None taken" Draco grinned "After all - how can I take offence at a comment that is so deluded as to be laughable" Harry burst out laughing.

"I see what you mean" He looked back at Ron "Anyway, Mr Weasley, it seems in the four months since I last saw you, you have been quite busy" He looked down at Hermione "If you have hurt her, I will make you sorry you were ever born"

"Stupid bitch deserved it" Ron said, then took a few steps back as Harry charged forward - only to be intercepted by three Aurors. 

"Harry - don't" Calista said "She's just stunned - he knows that if he hurts her then he will lose me forever" Harry looked over at her, frowning slightly.

"You are going back to him? After all we discussed?" 

"He said he would kill her if I didn't" Calista said sadly, then sighed "She's my mother, Harry, and I can't let anything happen to her" Harry gazed at her for a few moments, then nodded.

"I understand" He paused "On the bright side, I don't think you'll have to stay with him long" 

"The prophecy?" Bella sneered "The Minister will kill you before you before you even raise a hand to him" 

"Then where is he?" Harry looked around "Why isn't he here to finish me off?"

"He is on his way" Brianna said, walking in to the room from the main door "Ron, Bella - I am afraid we couldn't stop the third protest" 

"What?" Ron asked, turning round to stare at him.

"The...... the public rallied against us" Brianna dropped her eyes to the white floor "Katie Bell was speaking, and even back in school you have to admit she was a fairly impressive orator" She paused "Along with Fred, George, Hannah Bones-Abbot and another guy I didn't recognise, they stirred up the public enough to fight back"

"That is..... unfortunate news, Miss Zabini" Harry froze at the voice from the door. A voice that had filled his nightmares ever since he was born. Turning, he watched as Voldemort walked slowly in to the room, staring at Brianna.

"If I can take two squads back, I am sure that we can overcome them, Minister" Brianna said quickly "And once they see that Mr Potter is dead....."

"Miss Zabini - the protest that you failed to stop has ignited a spark. A spark that has already kindled some flames" Voldemort came to a halt, standing in front of Brianna "Whether or not I eliminate Mr Potter, these flames will spread, and it will be harder and harder to put out the fire" He paused "However, for the moment, I have a more pressing task at hand" He turned away, and Brianna let out a silent sight of relief.

"Mr Potter - after all this time, you are here" Harry tilted his head.

"So it would seem" He said in a friendly tone.

"When you were missing for so long, I had hoped that you were dead" Voldemort replied in the same friendly tone.

"But if I were dead, I could not have killed your Prime Minister" Harry pointed out "Nor could I have saved my three friends from being executed in Carnforth. And I almost certainly couldn't have killed Crabbe in his bedroom while he was abusing the eight year old girl he had captured the day before" Bella, Ron and Voldemort all stared at him. 

"It would seem you have been busy, Mr Potter" Voldemort said after a few moments of silence "But thank you for that information - I will add it to the list of crimes you will be convicted of posthumously" He paused "You are aware that you will not leave this room alive, I assume?"

"It had occurred" Harry nodded "But surely you are not going to do it so quickly? You are just going to kill me without witnesses?"

"I have witnesses......" Voldemort gestured to his guard.

"I believe we need witnesses the public will trust, Minister" Bellatrix said, then her mouth fell open in shock as she realised what she'd done "My apologies, Minister - I did not mean to interrupt you"

"And yet you did" Voldemort said, starting flatly at her "Would you care to explain your comment?"

"I was thinking, Minister" Bellatrix said, taking a deep breath "If the public believe in Mr Potter strongly enough to turn against the Auror guard, then if he is executed now - without anyone to bear witness - then it is possible he will be viewed as a martyr" She paused "Or that people will believe he is not dead at all"

"She has a point, Minister" Ron said "Even now there are still rumours that Dumbledore is not dead, and that he has been resisting you all these years - waiting for the right moment to strike" 

"So - if we execute him in front of the last vestiges of the resistance - The Scar and The Moon - then send them out to speak of his death" Bellatrix continued "His legend will be broken, and when he dies - screaming for mercy - people will see what a fool they were to believe in him" Voldemort gazed at her for a few minutes, then turned to Harry.

"My associate has a point, Mr Potter" He said "Which is not to say I am not going to punish her for her interruption and impertinence later" Bellatrix paled "But if I simply kill you now, I risk turning you in to a force more powerful than I have any desire to deal with" 

"So don't kill me" Harry suggested "I could certainly live without being killed" He paused "At least more than I could live after I am killed" 

"I am sorry to say, but that is not an option" Voldemort said in a sympathetic tone "However, I believe I know how to solve this issue" He turned to Ron "Mr Weasley - wake up your ex-wife and her friends. I believe that - after all the time they spent looking for him, they at least deserve the pleasure of watching him die"

"Yes, Minister" Ron nodded.

"Yes, Minister" Harry repeated in a mocking tone "You answer him just like you answered your mother" He paused "Until he killed her, that is" Ron cast a glare at him, but continued reviving the other prisoners.

A few minutes later, when they were all on their feet, Voldemort smiled.

"Miss Granger" He turned to Hermione "May I say what a pleasure it is to finally meet you" He smiled graciously "After all these years, it is truly an honour" Hermione stared back at him with a look of loathing.

"I wish I could say the same, Tom, but instead I will settle for watching you die" She replied. Voldemort stared at her, then began to laugh.

"You are truly the Gryffindor of Gryffindors" He said with a bow "But sadly, I can not grant your wish" He looked over at the rest of the prisoners "Today you will bear witness to the application of justice - and once you have born witness, you will go out and tell others of what you have seen. You will tell others of the true greatness of My Ministry" He paused, then turned to Bella "Prepare him"

"Yes, my Minister" Bellatrix bowed, then walked over to Harry and moved him to the centre of the room. While she did this, she continued to listen to Voldemort.

"You will tell others of how Harry Potter - The Boy Who Lived, The Boy Prophesied to...... urk" Bellatrix frowned as a smile came across Harry's face. She span round, then stared in confusion at the scene in front of her.

Voldemort - her Minister, her Lord - was stood, staring in surprise at the foot long blade sticking out from his chest. As she took more of the scene in, Bella realised that Hermione Granger was holding the other end of the blade, and was pushing it in further with every second.

"NOW!" Harry yelled, and suddenly Bella found herself facing an array of non-magical weapons. Seemingly from nowhere, the prisoners had produced swords, spears, pistols, daggers, javelins and what seemed to be a machine gun. A second later, Hermione withdrew the sword, then swung the blade sideways, decapitating Voldemort.

"AVADA KED...." Bella drew her sword and flung the killing curse towards Hermione, but before she could finish, she felt a stabbing pain in her back. 

"Please don't kill my boyfriend" Calista said in her ear "We've only been on one date, and I would at least like to see if he is as good a kisser as I think he will be" Bella span round as Calista pulled the dagger out. 

"Boyfriend?" Bella stared at the young girl in complete confusion, as all around her, the members of The Scar and The Moon killed the other members of The Inquisitorial Squad. 

"Harry Potter" Calista explained, then she thrust the dagger in to the older witch's heart "The boy prophesied to kill your bastard of a master" Drawing the dagger out again, she smiled "The boy that has just killed your master" 

"Boy....." Bella trailed off, then fell to the floor, dead. Calista let a small smile cross her face.

"CALLY! DUCK!" Without thinking, she dropped to the floor. A split second later, a burst of fire shot over her head. Rolling on to her side, she flung her dagger at the source of the spell, and watched Ron collapse to the ground, holding his knee. 

"You bitch!" Ron shouted. Calista bounced to her feet, then ran over to her father. 

"Now Daddy - is that any way to speak to your loving daughter?" She asked, then she grabbed his wand and broke it over her knee. 

"YOU UTTER C......" Ron stopped suddenly as he felt a sword press against his throat. Looking up, he saw Hermione staring down at him.

"I would appreciate it if you not use that word about my girlfriend" She said in a calm, firm voice. 

"Girlfriend?" Hermione looked round as Draco and Harry walked over "So you two are dating now?" Hermione smiled.

"The victory party was going to be our first proper date" Calista said "You do approve, don't you?" Harry and Draco exchanged glances, then looked back at Calista and Hermione.

"We'll talk about this later" Harry said, and Calista laughed.

"Thank you Mum" She bounded over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then looked back at Hermione "She approves"

"She?" Ron shook his head, looking from Harry to Hermione in confusion. 

"Oh - sorry" Draco smiled "I guess I should explain......"

xoxox

**Flashback**

(The Hogs Head, 16th of February, 2015)

_"That if we want to get to Voldemort, we have to give him a present he can't resist" Calista said "Something that he will want to take back to The Ministry, or his evil lair" She paused "A giant wooden horse" She frowned, then glanced across at Harry "I'm guessing that would be you?"_

_"No" Hermione said suddenly "That would be me" Everyone turned to face her._

_"Hermione - I love you, and I am sure you are ready to do this, but you aren't the one in The Prophecy" Harry said "So even if you do get in to face him, all you can really do is kick him in the balls" Hermione laughed._

_"While that does sound fun, I have a different plan in mind" She realised they were all looking at her curiously "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"_

"You're my mother" Calista said with a smile "Of course I don't trust you" Hermione laughed.

"Thank you, dear" She said wryly "But it was you who gave me the idea, with Troy and everything" She paused, then looked over at Harry "Mr Potter, could you come and stand next to me for a moment?" Harry nodded, then stood up and walked over to stand next to Hermione.

"Imagine you are Voldemort - that you can only killed by one person in the whole world" She continued "And now imagine you had that person in front of you" She looked around "What do you do?"

"Kill him" Harry said at once.

"But this boy has been missing for twenty years, and almost no one knows he is back" She said "If you kill him, how will anyone know he is dead?"

"So you make a show out of it" Draco said "You kill him in front of witnesses, or better - in front of his friends" 

"Why his friends?" Dudley asked.

"Because in the big picture, it doesn't matter if the rest of the world knows he's dead or not" Draco said "But if his friends - if we see him die - then that will end the resistance once and for all" He looked at Harry "If we know you are not just missing, but splattered all over the Ministry walls, we would pretty much have to give up the fight" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Nice imagery" He said.

"You're welcome" Draco replied "But my point remains" He looked up at Hermione "Voldemort kills Harry in front of all of us? That's your plan?"

"Yes" Hermione nodded "Well - not all of the plan, because obviously I'd prefer Harry not to die"

"Me neither" Harry said.

"Ditto" Calista added, making Harry smile while Draco frowned slightly.

"But what if Harry isn't Harry?" Hermione asked, then she drew her wand, said a spell under her breath, then tapped Harry on the head. A moment later, there were two of her. A moment after that there was one Harry and one Hermione again.

"That's just creepy" Draco and Calista said in unison. 

"I know" 'Harry' said with a grin "But if you hadn't seen it happen, and you wanted to kill The Boy Who Lived, who would you try to kill first?" 

"You" Everyone said at once. 

"And you would probably pay more attention to me than to Harry over here" 'He' pointed at 'Hermione'.

"Yes" 

"And if you were paying more attention to me than to Harry, it is entirely possible Harry could stab you without you realising it" 'He' finished. 

"With what?" Dudley asked "I mean - The DMLE and The IS might not be well-versed in muggle culture, but I am pretty sure they will know a sword, or a dagger, when they see it"

"That's true" 'Harry' nodded, then she tapped herself on the head, and transformed back to Hermione "But I have a plan for that" She glanced over at 'Hermione' "Diagon Alley is one of the single most secure locations in Magical Britain - even more so when The Prime Minister is addressing his followers" 

"And you're wondering how I smuggled a long barrelled rifle in and out of it?" 'She' asked, then frowned "Do you think you could....." 'She' waved at herself. Hermione grinned at 'her' for a moment, then tapped 'her' on the head, and a moment later, Harry reappeared.

"Thank you" He said, then realised Draco had said the same thing at the same time "Draco?"

"I realise it's for a good cause, but if I had to spend one more minute looking at Hermione but knowing you were inside her......." Draco trailed off as the room burst in to laughter "Hate you all"

"We love you too, Drake" Hermione smiled "But as I was going to say before Draco decided to declare his true feelings, Harry smuggled a lethal weapon in and out of Diagon Alley while it was at its most secure" She turned to look at him "How?"

"Luna's mother" Harry said simply. Hermione turned to Luna, who gave a soft smile.

"Before she died, she perfected a spell that allowed items to be shrunk and expanded" She explained "And while they are shrunk, they are very hard to spot, both normally and magically"

"Does it require a wand?" Padma asked "Because the first thing they will do before they take us in is take our wands" She paused "Or I would if I were them"

"That's the thing" Luna looked around, then stood up and walked round behind her chair "The first part does" She pulled out her wand and tapped the chair once "Varax" The chair vanished.

"Where's it gone?" Parvati asked in surprise.

"It's still here" Luna grinned "But it's shrunk down so far that it's nigh on invisible" She paused "And so...." Tucking her wand away in her hip pocket, she took a few steps back "To make it reappear, all you have to do is think the command 'olivea reverso cathedra'" As she finished speaking, she held out her hand and the chair reappeared in it. Everyone stared at her for a moment, then they all burst into applause.

"Thank you" She gave a bow "Tip your waiters - I'm here all week" Putting the chair down, she looked over at Hermione "If we can shrink the weapons down before we leave, then we will be fully armed and ready to strike the moment we are arrested"

"So if Harry is inside me" She grinned as Draco rolled his eyes "And I am inside him, they will never...."

**End Flashback**

xoxox

".....know what hit them" Draco finished his explanation, then looked back at Harry, who - Ron now realised - was actually his ex-wife. 

"Ronald - everyone else is dead. Voldemort is dead, and his time is over" Harry paused, then tapped himself on the head and changed into Hermione. A moment later, Harry retook his usual form as well "Everyone who collaborated with him - willingly or not - will face trial for their crimes, and those who are convicted will be going to jail, if not through the veil" She paused "However I am willing to grant you one chance at mercy"

"I don't want anything from you, bitch" Ron snapped, then winced as Draco drove a vicious kick in to his stomach.

"You will not talk to my future wife like that, Weasley" He said, making Harry and Calista turn to stare at them.

"Looks like we're not the only ones who forgot to mention something" Calista said with a grin. Hermione blushed.

"We'll talk about that later as well" She said, still blushing. Then she looked down at Ron "I'm not going to let you live, Ronald - you have gone far beyond that. But if you ask me nicely, I will kill you now, as painlessly as I can"

"Think about it, Dad" Calista said, pouring as much sarcasm as she could in to the last word "If you face trial, I am pretty sure the rest of your life will be spent with the dementors" Ron stared at her for a moment, then looked back at Hermione.

"At least there the company will be better" He said defiantly. Hermione tilted her head to one side, then shrugged.

"So be it. STUPEFY MAXIMUS!" A bright red beam of light shot out of her wand, and sent Ron skidding backwards across the floor "Padma, Parvati - make sure he stays unconscious. I don't think he will be any danger, but by the same token I didn't think he would ever sell us out to Voldemort"

"Yes, boss" The twins replied in unison, both pointing their wands down at Ron.

"Hannah, Dudley - are you ready?"

"Yes, boss" They nodded. Hermione looked over at Draco, then took a deep breath.

"Okay then" She paused "Lets go and face the music"


	9. Epilogue - Nineteen Years Later

Hermione Jane Granger leaned back in her chair, and allowed herself the luxury of a small smile. 

In less than an hour, students would be arriving at Hogsmeade Station, ready to begin their magical education. Draco - who, after explaining to his wife just how little he wanted to do with anything related to his former life, had taken the last name Granger when they'd married eighteen years before - was, at that very moment, walking down to the rebuilt station, ready to greet the new students as they stepped down on to the platform.

And from there, it was just a short carriage ride up to the doors of New Arcadia, built on the site of where Hogwarts had stood - and fallen - four decades before. 

Leaning back in her chair, Hermione gazed out of the window and smiled as she saw The Express pulling into the station. 

While welcoming the students always gave her the same sense of pride and wonder as it had the first time she had done it - thirteen years before when she was installed as the school's first headmistress - this year was going to be extra special. Because along with all the other new students, she was welcoming her two sons, and her two granddaughters.

The fact that she and Draco had discovered they were expecting at the same time as Harry and Calista had been a bit of a shock - especially when her daughter had realised that her daughters were going to be going to school with her brothers. The words she used to express her surprise were ones that Hermione would remember for a long, long time. 

But now, eleven years later, the four of them had become used to the idea, and both sets of twins were quite happy that there would be someone else in school who knew what it was like being related to The Princess of Arcadia and The Boy Who Lived.

"Headmistress" Hermione turned from the window at the voice at the door. 

"Mr Dursley?" She asked in surprise as Dudley walked in to her office "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You used to call me Dudley, Hermione" He said with a slight smile - one that didn't reach his eyes. 

"You didn't used to be Master of all you survey" She replied, then tilted her head to one side "But you didn't come here to ask me why I am more respectful of you than I used to be, did you?"

"No, Hermione, I didn't" He paused "You should probably sit down" 

"Is it the kids?" She asked, eyes widening. 

"No" He shook his head "And I suppose I should have lead with that - sorry" He paused "It's not Harry or Calista either, and as far as I know Draco is arriving at the station as we speak"

"Okay" Hermione looked at him curiously, then walked round and sat down behind her desk. Dudley came and sat down opposite her. 

"I received a visit from Parvati today" He said quietly. Hermione stared at him for a moment, then sighed.

"He's dead, isn't he?" She asked.

"Yes" He nodded.

"How? When?" 

"The Warden at Azkaban found him at about eight o'clock this morning" Dudley said "Apparently he hanged himself with his bedsheets" Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him.

"I take it he's been disposed of already?" She asked after a few seconds.

"All of his family are dead - excepting the four of you, and I didn't think that you would want to claim him" Hermione gave a wry smile.

"That was very astute of you, Triumvir" She said "Has it been made public yet?" 

"No" He shook his head "Warden Creevey promised she would keep it quiet, and Parvati said that it would be up to you whether you want it announced to the public or not" He paused "Are you going to tell Calista? I mean - he was her father"

"No, he wasn't" Dudley stared at her in surprise as she shook her head emphatically "Regardless of biology, Draco has been more of a father to her than Ronald ever was" She paused "However, once The Sorting is over with, I will talk to the three of them, and get their opinions" She frowned "How soon do we have to decide?"

"You can take as long as you want, Hermione" Dudley smiled "The other two are quite happy to leave it with you"

"I'll bet" She smiled, then stood up "Do you want to come to The Sorting? I'm sure we can make space for The First Triumvir" 

"Thank you, but I should be getting back to The Ministry" He stood up as well "The budget is due in a month's time and Lavender is still haggling over the stadium rates for The Quidditch League" 

"Still?" She exclaimed in surprise "I thought she'd got the agreement she wanted last year"

"She did" Dudley admitted "If you ask me, she just likes arguing" Hermione laughed.

"That does sound like Lavender" She admitted, then leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek "Thank you for bringing the news in person"

"You're welcome, sweetheart" He kissed her back, then turned and left the office. Hermione stared out the window for a moment.

She hadn't been kidding when she said Calista though of Draco as her father - but given that Ron had been in her life for three years and Draco more than seven times as long, was it any surprise?

Looking down from the window, she saw the carriages pulling up to the front of the school, and realised that deciding about her slime-bag of an ex-husband could wait for later.

xoxox

Half an hour later, she stood at the top of the steps in front of the school. watching as Draco lead the new students up the main pathway. 

Bringing them to a halt, he walked up beside her, slipping his hand in to hers. She gave him a soft smile, then turned to face the students.

"Welcome to you all" She smiled "Later this evening, you will be sorted in to one of the five houses that make up our school" She gestured to the banners that hung in front of the entrance doors.

"Gondolin" She pointed to a silver banner with an Bear on it.

"Nargathrond" An emerald banner with a Shark.

"Belegost" A blue banner with a Lion.

"Doriath" A red banner with a Wolf.

"And Esgalduin" A white banner with a Condor. 

"Your house will be your family while you are at school, and all the triumphs you have will be triumphs for your house" She smiled "The sorting will take place at the welcome feast, but right now we are going to take you on a tour of the school and the surrounding grounds" She paused "Our first stop is the Quidditch Pitch, so if you would like to make your way over there, the Deputy Headmaster and I will join you in a moment" As the group of students walked off towards the large stadium, Draco turned to his wife. 

"Something on your mind, my girl?" He asked quietly. She smiled back at him.

"Ask me again after the feast" She said quietly, then looked over at the departing group of students "How are the kids doing?"

"Michael and Nathan seem to be having fun. They have made a few friends. So has Gabrielle" He paused, making Hermione sigh.

"Zoe still a little shy?" She asked, and Draco nodded.

"She is her father's daughter, poor kid" He said with a smile, making Hermione roll her eyes "I was hoping she'd grow out of that and take after her mother and grandmother"

"Still a charmer" She replied, blushing bright red. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then looked over at The Quidditch Pitch.

"Ready to see what the future holds, love of my love?" He asked. Taking his hand, she nodded.

"With you by my side, love of my love, I am ready to face anything" Giving him a soft kiss, they turned and walked after the students. 

xoxox

  
**GEMINI PRODUCTIONS** in partnership with  
 **HOME OF THE ANGEL STUDIOS** proudly present

A **SAMMYWRAE** story.

Starring

HARRY POTTER  
LUNA LOVEGOOD 

with

LORD VOLDEMORT  
RONALD WEASLEY  
BELLATRIX BLACK

featuring

DEAN THOMAS  
DUDLEY DURSLEY  
HANNAH ABBOT  
SUSAN BONES

and

KATIE BELL  
PADMA PATIL  
PARVATI PATIL  
LAVENDER BROWN

and starring

_HERMIONE GRANGER_  
and  
DRACO MALFOY 

**NINETEEN YEARS LATER**

Story by  
SammyWrae

Based on  
characters and situations  
created by  
J.K. Rowling. 

xoxox

"Boss?" Luna looked up to see one of her junior reporters stood at the door.

"Yes, Tony?"

"I have a letter here" He said, walking in "It's....." He paused, then shrugged "It's for you" She stared at him with a slight look of bemusement.

"What aren't you telling me, Tony?" She asked. 

"According to the delivery man, the letter was handed in at Gringotts on February the 29th, 1984" He paused "By Marriel Lovegood" Luna's eyebrows vanished in to her hair. 

"My mother left a letter at Gringotts and I am only getting it now?"

"The instructions were very clear - it was to be delievered to you on the 29th of February, 2044" He held the letter out "The goblins are nothing if not sticklers for details" Luna smiled, then reached out and took the letter off him.

"Thank you, Tony" 

"My pleasure, boss" He nodded, then turned and left the office. Waving her hand, Luna closed the door, then looked down at the letter. She would recognise her mother's handwriting anywhere, and - as Tony had said - it contained her name and the instructions not to be opened before today.

With a shrug, she flipped it over and undid the back.

Sliding the paper out, she unfolded it and started to read.

_"My dearest Luna,_

_If my instructions were followed, you will receive this letter on your 44th birthday, 63 years after you were born......"_


	10. Disclaimer & Notes

(Normally these would be end notes in the previous chapter, but they are about 500 characters too long for that. So - enjoy!)

**Disclaimer**

Harry Potter et al belong to JK Rowling.  
Arda et al belong to JRR Tolkien.

Any other references that are clearly the property of someone else belong to them, but at the moment I can't think of any off the top of my head.

The story belongs to me, although if you wish to post it somewhere else you may, providing  
1) You leave both disclaimers intact  
2) You do NOT put it on any site that charges for access  
3) You credit me as the original author  
4) You let me know where you are posting it

 

**Notes**

 

This was my NaNoWriMo story for 2013 - actually, my third NaNoWriMo story for 2013. The first - a horror film involving sharks and zombies - was abandoned after around 2000 words and the second - a story that painted Luna Lovegood as the ultimate villain - was abandoned after 1,000 words.

This story went remarkably well, right from the start, and I finished it on November 20th, although it actually only took me 17 days to write.

The official word count (at point of detection) was 57,925 (although because of differing definitions of what is a "word" that figure will not match what is posted here), giving me an average of around 2,900 words per day.

The hardest part was, without doubt, the confrontation in The White Room and The Epilogue. Between them, they took around 3 days to write.

The easiest part was the description of The Trojan War and (oddly) The Fall of Arcadia.

The most surprising part was that I ended up writing a story - more specifically a relationship - that I PROMISED myself I would never write. 

In the original stories, there is no way - NO WAY - that Hermione and Draco could end up together. As I mentioned in the story, she sees him as a pampered prince - someone whose every thought is utterly repellent. And he thinks she is less than sub-human - someone he holds in complete and utter contempt.

However, as I was writing the Fall of Arcadia and even The Fall of Hogwarts, I realised that I had changed Draco's character fairly fundamentally, so the idea of him with Hermione was not so ludicrous as I originally thought. 

And the more I wrote, the more I knew where it would end up. I finally gave in and wrote "314" to make it an explicit story, rather than just implied. 

I am unlikely to write such a story again - unless it comes as a sequel to this (which is not impossible - stories of The Scar And The Moon in the wilderness, and I have 20 years to fill between the end of the war and the four children arriving at New Arcadia - but I do have other stories jumping around like rabid puppies, trying to get my attention) - so enjoy it while it lasts. Unless you're not a big Draco/Hermione fan, then I suggest reading something else (although if you are reading the author's notes before the story, you have WAY more problems than simply not enjoying the story!)

Questions (from people who received previews/while I was writing posts etc)

 

**What happened to Sirius/Remus/Mad-Eye/etc?**

 

If I were to have written a specific death scene for everyone in The Order and all the other "good guys" mentioned, the story would have been nearly three times as long. 

So I leave it up to you - you can decide what happened to anyone who isn't mentioned as being explicitly dead or in France. I'm told "interactivity" is all the rage, so enjoy :)

 

**Why did you screw over McGonagall so much?**

 

Because, as I have mentioned elsewhere, I just don't like her much as a character. She never stands up to Dumbledore (what is right vs what is easy) - except for one time when she says The Dursleys are not nice people. After that - nothing. She bows, scrapes and does everything he asks without argument or question. 

She let Umbridge terrorise the school with barely a whisper, and stood by and did nothing when Snape was installed as Headmaster. 

So in a situation like this - where Voldemort is Minister - I could easily see her sacrificing Hermione for the rest of the students, on the basis that the needs of the many.....

 

**You really don't like Ron, do you?**

 

He has been consistently selfish and a bit of a twit. But in this instance, he was actually acting with the good of someone else in mind, not just himself. 

He wanted to save Hermione and Calista, and knew that while Hermione was Mistress of Arcadia, she would not take The Oath. 

If anything, it wasn't that he was selfish, just that he didn't truly understand his wife's passion.

 

**You didn't entirely explain how Harry and Luna were shifted 19 years in to the future.**

 

You noticed that too? (grin)

 

**Is Dumbledore Dead?**

 

Yes - despite the hints and suggestions, he died during Voldemort's coup.

 

**What began with "R"?**

 

Reflection.

 

**Why name the five houses after Ancient Realms of Arda rather than The Founders or more recent Magical heroes?**

 

There was going to be a scene where they were called Lovegood, Potter, Granger, Evans and Black, but that Harry, Luna, Hermione, Calista and Draco all objected. 

Mostly it was because New Arcadia was a brand new school, and they wanted to leave all the prejudice and so forth in the past, and not tie people down to personality types when they are 11 years old.

xxxxxx

Anyway - thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and - in theory - I should get back to a regular posting schedule come January.


End file.
